“Dissidence” is Marc Séguin’s second solo exhibition at envoy. The show consists of six large-scale oil paintings that express the artist’s discomfort with our post-modern present. In a world that he feels is presently obsessed with speed, commodities, and all types of background noise that obscures, abstracts and accessorizes life, Séguin is interested in creating an open dialogue between himself and the viewers of his work that deals with the contrary nature of classical painterly representation.

Much like the formal aspect of Séguin’s paintings, the subject matter is pared down to the most basic elements: a life-size image of a girl puking a Chinese flag, a representation of the artist kneeling in front of a surveillance camera (dressed in a “hoodie,” kneeling as if in prayer, but not really…), the same “hoodie” urinating three endangered and highly prized species (black sturgeon for caviar, blue turtle as a prized meal for kings),...

Charcoal sketches (in chiaroscuro), inscribed in the historical and traditional way that paintings have been for centuries, lie at the basis of Séguin’s paintings. Dark smudges and fine lines are painted directly onto the raw surface of the canvas creating an image surrounded by empty space. This brings us to the core of Séguin’s work: a painterly investigation between form and emotion that provides a strong impact with as little means possible.