SHAWINIGAN, QUEBEC.- If you feel like communing with nature this summer, you won’t want to miss the National Gallery of Canada’s new art exhibition in Shawinigan, Quebec. Elements of Nature, presented at the Cité de l’énergie complex through 2 October 2005, celebrates the forms and forces of nature as interpreted by contemporary artists.

Elements of Nature features installations, paintings and multimedia works by well-known Canadian and international artists, including Irene F. Whittome, Michael Snow, Paterson Ewen and Liz Magor (Canada), Giuseppe Penone (Italy), Ah Xian (China), and Martin Honert (Germany). The 45 works are drawn from the permanent collection of the National Gallery, as well as from public and private collections in around the world.

The exhibition also includes a display of meteorites from the Canadian Museum of Nature, and scientific images of the moon, planets, nebulae and galaxies, as seen from the Hubble Space Telescope and other spacecraft.

“La Cité de l’énergie is the site of Canada’s first aluminum smelter, an industrial complex whose very purpose was to transform nature. As such, the restored foundry is a very symbolic environment in which to exhibit art inspired by nature,” says Pierre Théberge, Director of the National Gallery of Canada and curator of Elements of Nature.

“Each of the 13 artists featured in the exhibition has a unique interpretation of nature and our place in the natural world, from Giuseppe Penone’s monumental sculptures to Ah Xian’s delicate porcelain busts and Irene Whittome’s deeply spiritual works. Together, their art invokes the power of primordial elements and humankind’s efforts to tame them.”

Elements of Nature is the National Gallery of Canada’s third summer exhibition in Shawinigan, following 2003’s very popular The Body Transformed, which featured human body as its central theme, and 2004’s acclaimed Noah’s Ark, which explored the animal kingdom.

“We are very happy to once again be collaborating with the National Gallery of Canada,” says Robert Trudel, Director of the Cité de l’énergie. “Elements of Nature will draw tourists to Shawinigan and give residents of the Mauricie region an opportunity to discover world-class contemporary art in their own backyard.”

Visitors to Elements of Nature can enjoy an enhanced experience with the audioguide and the fully illustrated exhibition catalogue.