Je Cris J'Écris

2011

“Creativity is a pure attempt to feel the emptiness, the void and the loss inside.”

— Gerard Amsellem

I write
I scream

Je crie
J’écris

February 7, 2011, would have been my brother’s 58th birthday. For the past two years I commemorated his birthday by expressing the void he left in my life through my creations. The first show was in 2009 and it was called 7 Stars from You, 7 Stars to You. In that show I exhibited 7 of my stars and 7 of his stars. The second show was in 2010 and was a series of my paintings before and after his death.

This show is an expression of the void he left in my life.

The title is: J’écris, je crie, I Write, I Scream.

My brother was a painter, a writer and a conceptual artist. He loved to play with words not unlike the title I chose for this show.

I created three canvases which was inspired by his creativity, his presence and absence.

On one wall you will see my canvases with writings about my feelings.

These writings are my scream which express my difficulty in accepting that he is not here.

On the opposite wall you will see some of my brother’s work.

In the last few years of his life we had wanted to create a show together. This current show is the essence of our combined work.

This is it ...and I scream for his absence

To my brother

For my brother

ArtKit McDonaldSeptember 25, 2020Gerard Amsellem, Alain Amsellem

Before & After

2010

"Today my brother would have been 57 years old. Last year I showed 7 stars by him and I created 7 stars for him. From me to him. That was our first show together. This year I chose to show the paintings I did before and after his death. In my eulogy of him, I said that I would represent the continuation of his creativity and his contribution to the world.

There are 20 paintings, pastels, mixed media on wood or acrylic on canvas in this show.

13 from before his death.

7 completed after his death.

The first 13 paintings were created while he was still alive when we discussed having a show together, the last 7 are works that I produced after his death. The impact of his absence on my paintings, my grief and pain are in my paintings.

BEFORE

From the Inside is the name of the series from before his death.

From the inside comes the strength, the passion, and the impossible which is without definition until the end.
Each person contributes to the world vibrations and the sum of their inner experience. By going inside we explore our self-image, our being, and our view of the world.

Unleash everything, express without limit, scream with all your being.

AFTER

From The Higher Side is the name of the series of 7 paintings completed after his death.

When I feel what is not there anymore I replace it with a vision beyond human existence. I look at the sky, the water, the trees and I feel my brother’s soul in my paintings.

Quiet, peaceful with a trace of infinity. To his soul with all of me.

To my brother, to his paintings, to my family, to creation and endlessness."

February 7, 2010

ArtKit McDonaldSeptember 25, 2020Gerard Amsellem, Alain Amsellem

7 Stars For You

2009

7 STARS FROM YOU
7 STARS TO YOU
FROM MY BROTHER
TO MY BROTHER

7 ÉTOILES DE TOI
7 ÉTOILES POUR TOI
DE MON FRÈRE
POUR MON FRÈRE

“Today is February 7, 2009. It is my brother’s birthday. He passed away 19 months ago. He would have been 56 years old today. He died when he was 54 years old. In a few months I will turn 54 and will have lived longer than he.
I will have outlived him.

 Our lives were connected through a great relationship made stronger by painting and by exploring artistic visions. We always had a plan to show some of our works together and as it turns out, this is our first exhibition together.
 It’s a story of two lives and a deeper connection than anything else life can bring. 
When he disappeared I understood that I had to continue our planned project and integrate my work and his work as one. This is our first common show and a commemoration of his work and life.

In this show I take one group of his work of seven stars because seven is his number and his birth date. I offer seven of my stars based on our world, his absence, what he left and what I will continue without him.

Under the stars from the sky we are together
Under the universe
 The sun
The life
And expression 
To my brother Alain.”