Through his artistic approach, Mériol Lehmann illustrates how our lifestyles have changed down the decades. He documents how the food we eat and the manner in which we travel has wreaked havoc on our planet thanks, in part, to large-scale industrialization. Through his photography, he raises justifiable concerns about our methods of extracting natural resources and their effects on the land. In doing so, he aims to spark reflection on the ongoing environmental crisis, while exploring themes of rural life. These two realities serve as a reminder of our significant contribution to climate change, whether we admit it or not.

Mécanique générale is a collection of portraits of people who are truly passionate about their motor vehicles. Lehmann is particularly interested in how our love of cars and trucks is so closely tied in with our identity, especially in rural areas. In an era of climate change when fossil fuels are viewed in a negative light, we sometimes forget that the automobile is very much part of our daily life. In our culture, the automobile symbolizes strongly-held values such as freedom, pleasure and prestige. In contrast to his portraits, he illustrates the reality of what the extraction of oil actually does to the environment and by doing so, questions the very natural resource that powers our motorized vehicles.

Mériol Lehmann was born in Switzerland but he moved to the Quebec as a child and grew up on a farm in Lac-Saint-Jean. He holds a Master’s degree in the Visual Arts from Université Laval and also studied for a doctorate at the l’École multidisciplinaire de l’image de l’Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO). His films and photographs have been exhibited in Europe, Mexico, Japan and across Canada. Lehmann is also known for his sound performances, which he has staged at a number of venues in Quebec and abroad.

The artist warmly thanks all the participants who generously agreed to share their passion :
Joël Bergeron, Antoine Bernier, Théo Brisson, Flavie Côté, Michael Côté, Guillaume Coulombe, Régis Dufour, Arnaud Fortin, Nolan Fortin, Régis Gagné, Coralie Jean, André Labrecque, Malik Lehmann, Jean-Claude Ostiguy, Edouard Svantner, Alexandre Tremblay, Abygaëlle Vézina, Marc-Antoine Villeneuve, Gabriel Voyer and David Vu.