Pierre-Olivier Déry follows an installation-based practice, creating work that blends digital art, sculpture and video poetry. Interested in the concept of obsolescence, media archeology and modern artefact, the artist examines the role of the automobile at settings such as racetracks, festivals and public gatherings. Déry no longer views cars as mere things, but rather as « living » entities that tell us a lot about our relationship with speed and progress.

Car culture shapes our daily lives, often to the detriment of society, but in this exhibition, Déry offers a poetic, sensitive perspective on this modern menace. His installation dissects the car piece by piece, viewing the machine almost as a living organism – a ubiquitous entity that dominates and transforms our landscapes. The body of work on display draws a parallel between the automobile and the common reed (Phragmites australis), an invasive plant that grows alongside highways. As cars rush by, seeds are dispersed in the wind, allowing the plant to spread unhindered – an analogy for the way that automobiles too can be viewed as an « invasive » species. Together, machine and plant embody a constantly evolving technonatural world.

Pierre-Olivier Déry is the 2025 recipient of the Yvonne L. Bombardier Visual Arts Scholarship. A native of Drummondville, he is now based in Montreal. He holds an Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), a National Diploma in the Arts from the École Supérieure d’Art de Tourcoing (France) and a Master’s Degree in Visual and Media Arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Some of his works are held in the collections of the Cégep de Drummondville and UQAC. Déry is also the recipient of the prix Louise Paillé (2025). His work has been exhibited in Quebec, Morocco and France.