From September 1 to October 10, Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles welcomes the GAIA exhibit by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté. The world-premiere art project features 60 large-format photographs accompanied by quotations and explanatory text.
As the first civilian in space to publish and exhibit photographs from his trip, Guy Laliberté’s photographs were taken from more than 350 kilometers above the Earth during his 11-day trip to the International Space Station in 2009.
“When I gazed at GAIA – the Mother Earth of our ancestors – from above, I saw her fragility in relation to the universe, but also her great strength in relation to humanity,” Laliberté said after his flight.
“She has inspired in me the desire to live and has given me the will to take good care of her. As a species, we have no choice, as we are ultimately responsible to future generations. I humbly share GAIA, for the very first time, with the people of Montreal…”
One of the exhibition’s aims is to raise awareness of the shortages of drinking water. Several of the exhibition’s photographs will be accompanied by text explaining challenges facing the particular region shown.
Photo credit: Guy Laliberté