This book presents the monumental work of the Cédule 40 artists' collective, where you will discover playful and poetic works of art that deal with different aspects of Quebec's rural and urban landscapes. Cédule 40 was founded in 2005 by artists Julien Boily, Sonia Boudreau, Étienne Boulanger and Noémie Payant-Hébert. The visual arts collective seeks to create a rapprochement between the general public and contemporary art by creating unifying works that combine technical ingenuity with a relationship to place and territory. Author, curator and artist Sylvette Babin offers a look at the works presented at the Jardins de Métis and the Événement Orange de St-Hyacinthe that touch on the world of agriculture. For his part, Jean-Pierre Vidal, author, semiotician and professor emeritus at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, offers a literary reflection on the collective's large-format sculptures and installations. The preface is written by Lesley Johnstone, curator at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal.
All four artists hold interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degrees from different specialties. Julien Boily is specialized in visual arts. He works full time as a painter and is the coordinator and in charge of programming at Centre Bang in Saguenay. Sonia Boudreau is specialized in visual arts and holds a Master of Arts degree from UQAC. She works mainly in the fields of drawing, installation and artist's book. She is also a professor in visual arts at the Cégep de Chicoutimi. Étienne Boulanger specializes in cinema-video. He works mainly in the field of performance art. He is also a professor in art history at Collège d'Alma and is currently pursuing a master's degree at UQAC. Noémie Payant-Hébert holds a master's degree in arts. She specializes in cinema-video, a discipline she teaches at Cégep de Jonquière. She works mainly in installation-video and artistic direction for cinema.