Frédéric Bigras-Burrogano (he/they) is an artist and curator based in Tio’tià:ke/Mooniyang (so-called “Montreal”). Their research-creation work is situated in affect theory, Energy Humanities and decolonial practices and evolves through techniques that incorporate photographic traces, documentary methods and experimental cartography. In their delicate and intentional layering of meaning and matter, Bigras-Burrogano’s work acts as a site to deconstruct hegemonic narratives that are core to capitalist, imperialist and neoliberalist understandings of the world(s). In the gaps made visible by this process, they seek to bring forward stories that have slipped between cracks or have been written out altogether.
Critiques and refusals of extractivism act as a conceptual grounding for Frédéric Bigras-Burrogano practice. With projects that can span from six to ten years, their slow pacing and long term commitments prioritize care, kinship and patience as modalities to delicately weave stories over time. These processes privilege material agency, enabling the artworks to speak for themselves. This extends beyond individual works and into the contexts created for them. In borrowing and harnessing institutional codes and formulas, Bigras-Burrogano aims to make visible the power structures art itself exists in. These multilayered and fine detailed environments foster a space for viewers to experience the slow unveiling that the work requests.
Frédéric Bigras-Burrogano has shown in group and solo exhibits internationally. Notable presentations include Shapowei Art Zone, Xiamen, China (2015), The New Gallery +15, Calgary, CA (2016), Krakow Photography Festival (2016), and The Bundy Museum, Binghamton, USA (2019). They also co-curate Gallery Éphémère, an experimental and nomadic project space. Their artworks and curatorial projects have received funding from institutions such as Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (2016), UQAM (2020), Médiane (2020) and Canadian Council for the Arts (2019, 2021), among others. Bigras-Burrogano is currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary PhD at Concordia University.