Habitat
Festival Art Souterrain
contemporary art
exhibition
from march 15 to april 6, 2025
Theme: Habitat
Curators Geneviève Thibault and Eric Millette investigate the various aspects of the modern habitat, focusing on its human, social, and environmental dimensions. Through photography, video, installation, sculpture, and performance, the featured artists address and contribute to envisioning a future where our habitats reflect the very values of creativity, sustainability, and inclusivity.

The Curators
Geneviève Thibault
Guest Curator
« Inhabited spaces reveal various forms of accumulation: bodies, materials, possessions, experiences, habits, relationships, responsibilities, and workloads. Also, the accumulation of presences and, above all, absences. »
Some works in the exhibition explore deep connections to a place or a group of people, while others highlight the alienating nature of everyday life or the paradox of seeking shelter from external forces. Like a patchwork quilt of mismatched households that defy norms and captivate, I hope that the ideas presented in the underground pathways of TiohTià:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal will make visible a wide range of lived experiences, both real and imaginary, by artists from various built environments. In a way, it’s an invitation to ‘come home’ and participate in this collective contemplation on the future of housing.
Since incorporating writing into her practice in 2021, her poetry and critical texts have been featured in several art and literary journals in Quebec. She has curated group exhibitions exploring the relationship between habitat and art, whether through presenting art in the public space or by bringing together artistic proposals that question the forces at work in the act of inhabiting. Born in Matane, on the Mi’gmaq Gespe’gewa’gi, where she has been living with her family since 2013.
Eric Millette
Guest Curator
« What are we looking for in a place we call home? This reflection becomes important if we aim to one day foster the appropriation of a home for everyone. Art can help us explore the essential qualities that a space must embody to truly be called a home. »
Our relationship with home is unique, as it can evoke a range of interconnected emotions, including comfort, intimacy, belonging, pride, and a connection to the outside world. These feelings provide exciting opportunities for artistic and creative exploration. Art possesses the ability to evoke, transform, and even challenge our understanding of home and our relationship with it. The artists featured in this exhibition examine these concepts in relation to the spaces we inhabit.
For me, the Festival Art Souterrain has always been an excellent opportunity to foster conversations between art and public space due to its unique occupation of that environment.
His interest in the suggestive power of contemporary art has led him to explore the relationship between art installations and their locations. He gradually became involved in the cooperation and design of works integrated into architecture. He has collaborated on various art projects, including Organicus by artist Jonathan Villeneuve, Leurs effigies by Yann Pocreau in 2018, and Nuances collaboratives with painter Frédérique Ulman-Gagné in 2022.
Karine Gonthier-Hyndman
Spokesperson
Karine Gonthier-Hyndman has stood out in the theater world with numerous roles over the past decade. The wide array of projects she has taken on highlights her versatility and her passion for creation. She has shone in productions such as Queue cerise (Olivier Morin) and Toccate et Fugue (Florent Siaud) at Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Frédéric Bélanger) at Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, and The Novel of Monsieur Molière (Lorraine Pintal) at TNM. In 2023, she captivated audiences with Le Faiseur (Alice Ronfard) at Théâtre Denise-Pelletier and Seeker (Justin Laramée) at Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, before continuing in 2024 with Le Prénom (Serge Denoncourt).
On television, she has accumulated roles in productions such as Toi & Moi II, Les Beaux Malaises, and Nouvelle Adresse, bringing her to wider public attention. Karine was nominated at the Gémeaux Awards from 2016 to 2018 for her brilliant role as Élizabeth in Les Simone (Best Supporting Actress: Comedy) and from 2016 to 2024 for Like-moi (Best Performance: Comedy). She won the Gémeaux Awards with her teams in 2018 and 2020 (Like-moi) and 2021 (Entre deux draps).
In 2019, she took on the unforgettable role of Alexandra in the series Les Invisibles, directed by Alexis Durant-Brault, on TVA. From 2020 to 2024, she portrayed Micheline, the partner of Patrice Robitaille’s Serge, in the acclaimed series C’est comme ça que je t’aime by the creators of Série Noire on Radio-Canada. She can also be seen in Patrick Sénécal présente on Club Illico, Chouchou on Noovo, Sans Rendez-vous, and Avant le crash on Radio-Canada.
On the big screen, Karine left a lasting impression with her roles in Henri (2011) and Frimas (2021), two films that stood out in the prestigious Oscar race. She also appeared in Trip à trois (Nicolas Monette) and Falcon Lake (Charlotte Le Bon). In 2024, she starred in the series Veille sur moi by Rafaël Ouellet, and in 2025, she will appear in the film Deux femmes en or, directed by Chloé Robichaud, competing in the official selection at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, further solidifying her place among the most talented artists of her generation.