An issue under the sign of vital breath and breathability.
In our first moments of life, instinctively, we need to breathe and perform the biological function of "being in the world." Thus, from very early on, breath has been associated with the soul or spirit that gives life to the body. This prepared the way for cosmic and religious visions of life. And although breath as a vital element has always been represented in art, it is mainly since Marcel Duchamp that the phenomenon of breathing has been used in art works to experiment with various sensory experiences. This issue brings together articles that consider various ways of depicting breathing, particularly those associated with current conditions of breathing in an environment where the air often is deemed unhealthy.
Founded in 1987 in Montreal, led by André-Louis Paré since 2013, Espace art actuel is an essential bilingual magazine for the promotion of contemporary art in the field of sculpture, installation and all other art forms associated with the notion of spatiality.
