PJ Desrochers is a working artist. Their medium is the totality of themselves. Their large white body, transnonbinary gender, the Abenaki land they grow themselves upon, their vast self-awareness, depth of emotional understanding, nervous system regulation, repair and reactivity, intuitive spirituality, and their quest for interdependent relationships with family, friends, lovers, clients, and queer community.
PJ chooses to utilize their medium through the photographic lens, specifically the camera on their iPhone. PJ has over 100,000 photos that comprise their palate. Each photograph reflects a certain hue of a moment in time. Each moment a self portrait. These portraits are listened to as PJ builds them into sculptural form. Honoring the artistic compulsion to make something known into something seen.
Being seen is elemental to PJ’s joy as a visual expressionist. To accomplish this photographically and sculpturally they print images onto to transparency film and layer them upon each other, typically over a light box, alchemizing until whats been created makes a visual representation of their internal state of knowing. Transparency film and transparent adhesive tools like scotch tape, fishing line, and spray glue offer a clear view into PJ’s intentionality in making process driven work.
Each piece of PJ’s art follows a thread from one body of work to the next. Each piece has art from previous projects embedded into it. Often found as beloved transparent scraps, found objects, ribbons, and the color of gold all to be reconfigured in the effort to birth something new.
PJ chooses to utilize their medium through the photographic lens, specifically the camera on their iPhone. PJ has over 100,000 photos that comprise their palate. Each photograph reflects a certain hue of a moment in time. Each moment a self portrait. These portraits are listened to as PJ builds them into sculptural form. Honoring the artistic compulsion to make something known into something seen.
Being seen is elemental to PJ’s joy as a visual expressionist. To accomplish this photographically and sculpturally they print images onto to transparency film and layer them upon each other, typically over a light box, alchemizing until whats been created makes a visual representation of their internal state of knowing. Transparency film and transparent adhesive tools like scotch tape, fishing line, and spray glue offer a clear view into PJ’s intentionality in making process driven work.
Each piece of PJ’s art follows a thread from one body of work to the next. Each piece has art from previous projects embedded into it. Often found as beloved transparent scraps, found objects, ribbons, and the color of gold all to be reconfigured in the effort to birth something new.
Queer Visions: Studio Place Arts, Barre VT showing “Shame’s Blanket” 2023. March 15th thru April 29th 2023. SHAME'S BLANKET
PJ Desrochers: To See & Be Seen, the Front, Montpelier, VT. November, 2021 TO SEE & BE SEEN NONBINARY TAROT©
PLEASE check out PJ’s artist’s talk recorded from their solo show. Click link below.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtzyivyIj2Ejg5IIB1GS-y9wlZVPAA?e=lRg3lX
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AtzyivyIj2Ejg5IIB1GS-y9wlZVPAA?e=lRg3lX
Show 45 : the Front Gallery Member Owner Show: work shown - “The Scent of Discernment” Tranparent self portrait merging from vintage perfume bottle filled with other images and raw garnet place on a Golden Portal, of course!
Show 44: the Front Gallery Member Owner Show: work shown: “Reconstruction” a hanging self portrait photographic assemblage of transparency prints, brass brads, arrows, special jewelry, a nest and other sacred objects.
SWEET: TW Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT “A Sweet Scene” -An installation piece introducing the four suits of To See & Be Seen Nonbinary Tarot. June - August 2021
Show 43 : the Front Gallery Member Owner Show: work shown- “What I want to be” (Sprite #6) a hanging (in a frame this time) photographic assemblage of transparency prints, wood wands, and a pocket pillow.
Show 42 : the Front Gallery Member Owner Show: work shown- “Light me up #1 & #2” Mid century modern lamps with metal lamp shades filled with transparent self portraits.
Show 41 : the Front Gallery Member Owner Show work shown- “#2 Witness To Be & Be Seen Tarot” - A 3D sculpture featuring transparent photographic images suspended in translucent plastic dust collection tube.
Show 40: the Front Gallery Member Show: work shown: “For You” a hanging Photographic Assemblage, transparency prints, scotch tape, driveway wand, and fingerprints.
Show 39: the Front Gallery Member Show: piece shown “Making Magic Too: an epigenetic exploration” SOLD
The Sheltering in Place Project: by Hasso Ewing. Exhibit held at Highland Center for the Arts August 2020, Greensboro, VT. Piece shown “Home” SOLD.
https://www.timesargus.com/features/vermont_arts/the-sheltering-in-place-project/article_1e633271-6547-51e3-bdcd-1f994400a6fa.html
https://www.timesargus.com/features/vermont_arts/the-sheltering-in-place-project/article_1e633271-6547-51e3-bdcd-1f994400a6fa.html
TOUCH: A virtual exhibition June 5- 30th 2020. Work shown: “Making Magic” a photographic assemblage https://womanmade.org/touch-a-virtual-exhibition/.
Show 38: the Front Gallery Member Show: work shown “#13 Death” an acrylic print of a photographic assemblage from To See and Be Seen Tarot©
ALL THINGS LGBTQ...An Interview with Artist PJ Desrochers. January 2020. https://youtu.be/TMnuufmOzNw (Interview is in last fifteen minutes of broadcast).
PARADISE: An experimentation with projection. Shown at Center For Arts and Learning during ArtsFest 2019, Montpelier, VT June 6th.
OPEN WINDOW...WAITING DOOR: Solo Exhibit at The Drawing Board Montpelier, VT April 2018
“Arrival” out of the ARRIVAL body of work selected for the juried Black + White Exhibit at Library Arts Center Newport, NH, February 2018 through April 2018
WATER SEEKS IT'S OWN LEVEL: Solo show at Green Bean Visual Arts Gallery at Capitol Grounds Cafe, Montpelier VT, July 2017
"Shouldered" out the LOVERSHIP series selected for the juried group show: Following the Rules/Breaking the Rules: TW WOOD Gallery, Montpelier VT, March 2017
INTO ALIGNMENT: a photographic self-portrait installation was part of Into The Deep: On-Line Group Show using work from Catherine Just's advanced conceptual photography course, February 2017
CHAIR SERIES: Solo show for Arts Walk, Montpelier, VT displayed at Uncommon Market, December 2016
WATER SEEKS IT'S OWN LEVEL: Solo show at Green Bean Visual Arts Gallery at Capitol Grounds Cafe, Montpelier VT, July 2017
"Shouldered" out the LOVERSHIP series selected for the juried group show: Following the Rules/Breaking the Rules: TW WOOD Gallery, Montpelier VT, March 2017
INTO ALIGNMENT: a photographic self-portrait installation was part of Into The Deep: On-Line Group Show using work from Catherine Just's advanced conceptual photography course, February 2017
CHAIR SERIES: Solo show for Arts Walk, Montpelier, VT displayed at Uncommon Market, December 2016