(updated on February 20th 2021)
Born in Montreal, January 19, 1944.
Classical course, Externat classique St-Viateur (1955-1962)
Bsc anthropology, University of Montreal (1962-1965)
Employed by the National Film Board of Canada as animation film director (1965 à 1999) Producer and studio director from 1997 to 1999. Independent artist since 2000. President of la Cinémathèque Québécoise (1993-1995). Since 2011, he is member of the board of the artist run video center Videographe, in Montreal. Teaching : Montreal School of Fine Arts (1968), Laval University (1974-1978), University of Montreal (1975-1978)
Adresse : PO Box 1052, Hemmingford (Québec) J0L 1H0 Canada
e-mail: ph@pierrehebert.com
Main awards
Honorary Doctorate for life time achievement by Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, May 2018; Special career award from the Tehran International Animation Festival given by M. R. Karimi Saremi, director of the festival, 2017 ; Career Grant for cinema from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, 2012 ; Albert Tessier award (Government of Québec award for cinéma), 2004 ; for La Plante humaine, Prix Sodec-Aqcc for the best Quebec feature1996, prix cinéma de l’Office des communications sociales, and special price of the jury at The International Festival of Budrun, Turkey, 1997; Melkweg Cinema Award for Reality Research, Amsterdam, 1985; prix Héritage McLaren, 1988 – Bessy Award (NewYork Dance and Performance Award) for the films in Technology of Tears, 1987 – Prix Aqec-Olivieri for the best theoretical article on cinema 1993 ; Prix Aqcc for the best Quebec short of the year for Songs and Dances of the inanimate world – The Subway, 1985 .
Main films
Selfportait between Prag and Vienna, (2021, 9 min.); Mount Fuji seen from a moving train (2021, 81 min); But one bird sang not (2018, 6 min.); Berlin – The Passage of Time (2018, 25 min.); The Statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville (2018, 26 min.); Scratch – Triptych 3 (2017, 10 min.); Bazin’s Film (2017, 71 min.); You look like me (2014, 5:45 min.); John Cage – Halberstadt (2013, 10:45 min.) Triptych-2 (2012, 10 min.) Thunder River (2011, 7 min.) Place Carnot-Lyon (2011 7 min.) Praha-Florenc (2010, 10 min.) Triptych (2009, 30 min.); Herqueville, (2007, 21:40 min.); The Statue of Giordano Bruno (2005, 12:09 min.); The Technology of Tears (2005, 13:56 min.); Variations on two Photographs by Tina Modotti (2005, 40 min.); Between Science and Garbage (2004, 50 min.); La Plante humaine (1996, 78min.); La Lettre d’amour (1988, 16 min.); Adieu bipède (1987, 16 min.); O Picasso – tableaux d’une surexposition (1986, 20 min.); Songs and Dances of the inanimate world – The Subway (1986, 14 min.); Étienne et Sara (1984, 15 min.); Memories of War (1982, 16 min.); Entre chiens et loup (1978, 22 min.); Santa Claus is coming tonight (1974, 12 min.); Around Perception (1968, 16 min.); Opus 3 (1967, 7 min.); Op Hop (1965, 3 min.); Opus 1 (1964, 3 min.).
Video Installations
Scratch -2 Polyphony of flickers, 3 channels projections, at the Cyprus State Galery of Contemporary Art, May 2019; Monstra Festival, Sociedade National de Ballas Artes, Lisbon, March 2019; University of Montreal, August 2018; Cinémathèque québécoise, May 2017; Scratch 1, 3 channels on flat screens, gallery Clark Center, Montreal, January 2017; Cycling Utrecht, 2 channels on flat screens, University of Lausanne, October 2015; Festival of New Cinema, Montreal, October 2015; Holland Animation Film Festival and different locations in the city of Utrecht, March/July 2015; Berlin – The Passage of Time, 4 channels on flat screens, Rouyn-Noranda Public Library, November 2015; 24h CHRONO, Friche Belle de Mai, Marseille, June 2015; CCCB (Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona), Barcelona, February 2015; Asifa Austria space at Museumquartier, Vienna, 2014; Goethe Institut of Montréal, January 2015; University of Applied Arts, Vienna, October 2014; Dum Omeny, Brno, Czech Republic, October 2014; La cinémathèque québécoise, Montréal, March 2012; Le Forum des Images, Paris, March 2014; Only the Hand…, 12 channels projections, Cinemathèque québécoise, 2009.
Living Cinema
Multimedia performance – Pierre Hébert/Bob Ostertag
(2016) Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires; (2013) The Reading Room, Bangkok, Pongnoi Community Art Space, Chiang Mai; ATK/Club Cama, Hanoi; School of Creative Media, Hong Kong City University; SPOT Huashan Cinema 2F, Taipei; Beicangmen Life Art Center, Wuxi, China; WAVE, Suzhou, China; Paul’s Pocket, Hefei, China; The Blue Fruit, Nanjing, China, 2Kolegas, Beijing, China; (2012) International Beethoven Festival, Chicago, Music Gallery, Toronto (2009) Perugia Contemporary Art Festival; CNMAT, Berkeley, closing event of MaxEXPO; Bozar, Brussels; Sons d’hiver, Paris, Rotterdam Film Festival; (2008) Soundplay Festival at the Theater Centre, Toronto; Other arts at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas USA; Buenos Aires Festival Internacional of Cine Independiente, 9 julio theater, Argentina; Roulette/HarvestWorks, New York; (2007) Irtijal, Beirut; San Francisco International Film Festival, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; (2006) Transart Festival, Bolzano, Italy; Guelph Jazz Festival; Modave Performance Center, University of California; (2005) IX encontros de cinema, Cineclube de Faro, Portugal; Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf; Open Ear Festival, Kitchener, Canada; Red Cat Theater, Los Angeles; High Performance Rodeo, Calgary; Sensoralia Festival, Rome; ZO Culture, Catania, Italie; (2004) Casares, Spain; Argos Festival, Brussels; The Evergreen State College, Wash. USA.; New Forms Festival (The Western Front New Music), Vancouver; Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco ; Vasistas, Théâtre de La Chapelle, Montréal; Mois Multi, Méduse, Québec; University of California; (2003) Festival CinémaS d’Europe; Area Sismica, Meldola, Italie; Yamaha Avenue Hall, Sapporo ; Aichi Art Center, Nagoya ; Red Brick Wharehouse, Osaka ; Star Pine’s Cafe, Tokyo ; Centro de las Artes, Monterrey, Mexico ; Vooruit, Gand ; Film Kunst Museum, Ulm ; Galerie E-M Arts, Naples ; Cinémathèque de Slovénie, Ljubljana ; ICA, Londres ; National Review of Live Art, Glasgow ; Sons d’hiver, Paris ; Rotterdam International Film Festival, Groningen ; Merkin Hall, New York ; (2002) Steim, Amsterdam, Vooruit, Gand ; Nickelsdorf. Autriche ; FIMAV, Victoriaville ; (2001) FCMM, Montréal ; Walker Art Center, Mineapolis ; Tournée européenne (Italie, Slovanie, Autriche, Pologne, Allemagne) ; Electronic Music Festival, San Francisco ; Festival Images, Toronto.
Only the hand… (Seule la main…)
Solo performance with music by Stefan Smulovitz,
(2011) (in Arabic) Beyrouth Animated Festival; (2010) (in Dutch) Holland Animation Film Festival; (in Serbian) Banjaluka animation Festival;(2009) (in Innu) Cinémathèque québécoise, Montréal; (in Ojibway) Winnipeg Cinematheque; (in Romagnolo) Aera Sismica, Meldola, Italy; (in Romanesco) INIT Club, Rome; (in Paiute) University of California in Davis; (in Lakota) Performance Works, Vancouver; (in Portuguese) Lisbon University, Portugal; (in Yiddish) La vieille Grille, Paris; (in Duthch) Vooruit, Gent; (2008) (in Italian) ZO Culture, Catania, Italy; (in Italian) IOProject, Macchiagodena, Italy; (in French) Saguenay International Short Film Festival; (2007), (in French) Cinémathèque Québécoise; (in French) Université St-Joseph, Beirut; (in French) Toronto International French Short Films Festival; (in English) Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver.
49 Flies (live animation performance, solo or with invited musicians)
2012, Monstra Festival, Lisbon; 2011, Festival of New Cinema, Montreal; Vienna Academy of Fine Arts; Slovenska Kinoteka, Ljubljana, Slovania; Riunione di Condominio, Rome; La Biennale internationale des arts de la marionnette, Paris; Beyrouth Animated Festival; Eastern Block, Montreal; Tendances Festival, Amiens, France; 2010, Holland Animation Film Festival, Utrecht; BanjaLuka Animation Festival; Vancouver New Music Festival.
Tropisms (live animation performance with Lori Freedman and occasionally with other musicians).
2012, Le Cercle, Québec City; Saw Video, Ottawa; Casa Obscura, Montreal; Beatbit Festival, Guimaraes, Portugal; Suoni per il Popolo Festival, Montreal. Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien.
Live scratched animation performances
Scratch : (with John Hollenbeck) PHOS, Matane, 8 septembre 2019; (with Fernando Mota) Monstra Festival, Lisbon, March 28 2019, (with Yuichi Matsumoto) Art University of Tokyo, December 20 2018; (with Andrea Martignoni) Ausitorium of the Louvre Museum, Paris, October 14 2018; (with Lori Freedman) University of Montreal, August 30 2018; (with Malcolm Goldstein and John Heward), Cinémathèque québécoise, April 6 2017.
Rolling over Blinkity Blank, 2014/2015, Cinémathèque québécoise; Animation Festival of Nikozi, Georgia; Slovenska Kinemateka, Ljubljana, Slovania; Musée-Chateau d’Annecy, Festival international du film d’animation d’Annecy, Annecy, France; Center for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, Scotland; Digital Scratch 2011, 2012 (with Andrea Martignoni, mix of scratched animation and digital video processing), Animator, International Animated Film Festival, Poznan, Poland, Vienna Independent Shorts Festival, Area Sismica, Meldola, Italy; Solo performance – conference/performance on animation engraved on film, FilmStudio, Rome; Hallwalls, Buffalo; Maison du livre de l’image et du son, Villeurbane (Lyon); CEGEP de Saint-Laurent; Sonora University, Hermosillo, Mexico; Café-théâtre La Vieille Grille, Paris; Tele Ciencia, Universidade de Tras-os-montes e alto Douro and Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal; Holland animation Festival, Utrecht; Cinémathèque Québécoise, Montreal; Student Animation Festival, Ottawa; Fantoche festival, Baden, Switzerland. Improvisation with bassplayer Carlos Bica, Teatro Rivoli, Porto 2001 – Fleuve, by Éric Gagnon, Galery Axe Néo 7, Hull, 2000 – Musée de la Civilisation, Quebec, 2001 – Le mois Multi, Méduse, Quebec, 2001 – Vasistas, Théâtre de La chapelle, Montreal, Feb. 2001 – Théâtre de la Verdure, Montreal, 2001 ; Piano and cinema with Guillaume Dostaler, Calgary, Ottawa and Montréal, 2000 ; Improvisation with Andrea Martignoni, Milano, 2000 ; Improvisation –3 with Bob Ostertag, Sonic Act, Amsterdam, 1997 ; Le combat avec l’ange with Denise Boulanger, Agora de la Danse, 1994 ; Improvisation with David Borden, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA, 1993 ; I think we should (burn the damned thing down) with Bob Ostertag, tour in Austria and Germany, 1991 ; Sooner or later with Bob Ostertag, Taktlos festival, Suitzerland, 1991, and San Francisco, 1990 ; La Plante humaine with Robert Marcel Lepage, Montreal et other cities in Canada and abroad, 1990-91 ; Improvisation with Fred Frith, Musée d’Art contemporain, Montreal, et Glasgow Jazz Festival, Scotland, 1989 ; Adieu Leonardo with Jean Derome, Robert Marcel Lepage and René Lussier, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1987, DuMaurier Theatre, Toronto and tour in the Nerderlands; Conversation with Louise Bédard, Robert Marcel Lepage and Sylvie Massicotte, Obscure, Quebec and Optica Galery in Montreal, 1987.
Other musical shows
Improvisation with John Hollenbeck (drums) and Frederic Blondy (piano), Tour de bras, September 9 septembre 2019, Rimouski; Improvisation with John Hollenbeck and his ensemble, Off Festival de Jazz, Montréal, October 5 2018; Improvisation with Guillaume Valée, Hazy Montagne Mystique et Alexandre St-Onge, Eastern Bloc, Montreal; Improvisation (Scratch) with Lori Friedman, Aveiro, Portugal, 2017; Improvisation, with Mazen Kerbaj and Sharif Shenaoui, Casablanca, Morocco, 2017; Nitshisseniten e tshissenitamin ( I know that you know) by Chloé Sainte-Marie, 2011; Animation Exercises 2009, Loop Studio, Toronto; Area Sismica, Meldola, Italy; INIT Club, Rome; Robert’s Creek with Stefan Smulovitz, 2010, Gamboot Cafe, Roberts Creek; 2009, Loop Studio Toronto; Casa Obscura, Montréal; Glaces with music by Pierre Duchesne, 2009 University of Lisbon, Portugal, 2008, IOProject, Macchiagodena, Italy; Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois; Filature, a sound theater by Joane Hétu, 2008 Guelph Jazz festival, 2007, FIMAV, Victoriaville, 2006, Usine C, Montreal, 2006. Entre basura y ciencia with Bob Ostertag et Baltasar Lopez, Yerba Buena Center for The Arts, San Francisco, 2000 – Spiral by Bob Ostertag, San Francisco 1996 – In Memory by Fred Frith, New Music America, BAM, New York, 1989 – Mutation by Michel Lemieux, Montréal, 1988 – Confitures de Gagaku by Jean Derome, Montreal, 1986 – La symphonie interminable with Jean Derome, Robert Marcel Lepage and René Lussier,1984.
Scenographic films for dance
Elles, choreography by Louise Bédard, Théâtre de La Chapelle, Montreal, 2002 – Ville invisible choregraphy by Jean-Marc Matos, Centre national art et technologie, Reims, France, 1991 – Braise Blanche choregraphy by Louise Bédard, National art Center, Ottawa, 1991 – The Technology of Tears, choregraphy by Rosalind Newman, Joyce Theater, New York, 1987 – Timber, choregraphy by Ginette Laurin, Montreal, 1986.
Main publications and conferences
Toucher au cinéma, essay, Somme toute, Montréal, 2021; Research/creation seminar, summer school of the University of Montreal, from August 20 to 31 2018, with André Habib; Colloquium «Écrire sur l’animation», communication during the colloquium organized by NEF Animation at l’Insitut national d’histoire de l’art, Paris, December 2017; Têtes/Heads, book of drawings, Les Éditions de l’Œil, Montreuil, 2017; Conférence during the presentation of the video installation Berlin- Le passage du temps, at Forum des Images, Paris March 2014; Dessinéastes, catalogue of an exhibition at Musée-Chateau d’Annecy, Les Éditions de l’Œil, Montreuil, 2014; Tropismes, catalog of a drawing exhibition, 2012; Animation and Improvisation, Textuel no 60, Paris 2010, Cinema and Animated Cinema at the Digital Age, Colloquium «Mondialisation du goût et identités culturelles», Institut national d’histoire de l’art, june 16-17, Paris; El angel y el automata (spanish translation of L’ange et l’automate), BAFICI, Buenos Aires, 2008 – Un instant de lumière à Minneapolis (A moment of light in Minneapolis) in Conjonctures, no 43 Winter 2007 – Conférence sur le projet Living Cinema (conference on Living Cinema) Computational Poetics Gathering, Simon Frazer University, Vancouver, May 17-19 – Les trois âges de la rotoscopie (The three ages of rotoscopy), in Quand le cinéma d’animation rencontre le vivant, Les 400 coups cinéma 2006, Corps, langages, technologie, (Body, language, technology) collection of short essays, Les 400 coups, Montreal, 2006 – William Kentridge et le monde des ombres (William Kentridge and the world of shadows), 24 images, no 125, Dec.. 2005-Jan.. 2006 – Animation in the era of digital cinema, 20 proposals for a poetic of the moving images, opening conference of the 9th encounters of cinema, Cineclube de Faro, Dec. 9 -1, Faro, Portugal – Animation and other arts, an unanswered question, Symposium on animation and other arts, Casa da animacao, Porto, Portugal, Nov. 2001, published in 2006 in The Sharpest Point animation at the end of cinemaYYZ Books, Toronto – Highly personnal reflections on the state of animation catalogue of the Holland Animation Festival 2000, Utrecht, Nederlands – L’Ange et l’automate (The Angel and the Automaton) essay, Les 400 coups, Montreal, 1999 – Corps, Langage, Technologie (Body, Language and Technology) (colloque Manière de travailler, Parachute et Atelier psychanalytique, Montreal, 1999), La Gravure sur pellicule, une approche personnelle (Scratching on film – a Personnal Aproach) conference at the Festival International du Film d’Animation, Annecy, France, 1997 – La métaphore de « l’autre discipline» ou le paradis perdu du sens (The metaphore of the «other discipline» or the lost paradise of meaning) colloque Autres Pas, La danse, recherche et fabrication du sens, dance dep. of UQAM, 1994 – Égarement volontaire (Willingly misled) in Les Vendredis du corps, le corps en scène, vision plurielle, Cahier de Théâtre Jeu/FIND, 1993 – Musicalité ou Oralité ? Réflexion d’un cinéaste qui voulait «faire comme un musicien» (Music or speech – Reflections of a Filmaker who wanted to act like a Musician) (in Cinémas vol.3 No1, 1992 – Le cinéma d’animation : entre la nostalgie du dessin et le désir de la danse (Animation Cinema : Between the nostalgia of Drawing and the Desire of Dance) in Esquisses psychanalytiques, no 17. Paris, 1992 – et other texts published in Canadian or French magazines.
Major exhibitions
Exhibition Tropismes, at the International Animation Festival of Tehran, 2017; Exhibition Norman McLaren en héritage – Pierre Hébert at the Musée-Chateau of Annecy, France, 2014; Exhibition of drawings , ‘at Le Cercle, Québec City; film John Cage-Halberstadt on a flat screen, at the Galerie im Herrenhaus near the Burchardi church, home of the Joh Cage Orgel Projeckt; exhibition «Tropisms – 100 drawings in homage to Nathalie Sarraute» at the cinema Excentris in Montreal, 2012; drawings in the exhibition Membra Disjecta for John Cage – Wanting to say something about John, at MuseumsQuartier Wien in Vienna and at the DOX Center for Contemporary Art in Prag, 2012; drawings in the exhibition Tropy, Figury, Refreny, Mistogallerie, Brno, Tcheck Republic; scratched diapositives in the collective exhibition Dessin à dessein, at the Galerie de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, 1994; drawings at the Melkweg gallery, Amsterdam, 1985; films and prints in the Canadian participation at “la Biennale de Paris, 1967; prints in the exhibition “Aquarelles, estampes et dessins canadiens”, National Gallery, Ottawa, 1966; prints in the exhibition “Graveurs du Québec”, Musée du Québec and Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; drawings, Galerie Claude Haefely, Montreal, 1964.
Retrospectives
Festival international d’animation de Téhéran, mars 2024; Saw Video, Ottawa, 2013, Cinémathèque Québécoise, 2013, Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente, Buenos Aires, Argentine, 2008 (complete retrospective), Holland Animation Festival Utrecht, Nederland, 2000 – Cinémathèque Québécoise, Montreal 2000 (complete retrospective) and 1982 – Fantoche Festival, Baden, Suisse, 1999 – Festival international du film d’animation Annecy, France, 1997 – Cinémas du Canada Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1993 – Ottawa International Animation Festival 1988 – Festival du cinéma québécois Liège, Charleroi et Bruxelles, Belgium, 1986 – Melkweg Cinema Amsterdam, 1985 – Canadian Cultural Center Paris, 1983 – Biennale de Paris, Paris, 1967, Tehran Inrternational Animation Festival, March 2024.