About La surveillante (2024), Océane Buxton

Galerie Galerie

La surveillante examines the ambivalent movement of reality and fiction within urban legends that spread across digital environments. On a platform taking the form of an old forum, user Surveillante3000 seeks to identify a mysterious lady who has asked them to photograph her. Through the inconsistent testimonies of other users and the accumulation of flaws and clues, a sinister narrative develops, until the enigmatic lady takes on the role of a concept rather than a person. La surveillante adopts a narrative structure inspired by the writings of Dennis Cooper, seeking to create a highly calculated folklore that challenges the authenticity of the storytelling that shapes our collective imagination.

La surveillante is a web work by artist Océane Buxton, co-produced by Galerie Galerie with the support of the Montreal Council for the arts. The argentic photos were taken by Sierra Ritch.

La surveillante is presented IRL at Ada X (Tiohtià:ke/Moonyiang/Montreal) as part of the HTMlles festival from May 1 to 15, 2024. URL, the work is part of Galerie Galerie’s Webthèque, a permanent space for the conservation and presentation of online art.

Océane Buxton is a visual artist based in Montréal since 2017, specializing in video, sound design, costume design, digital imagery, and performance. Her work primarily focuses on the mythology of stardom and the identity impact of internet communities. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Intermedia / Cyberarts from Concordia University in spring 2021 and studied at the RMIT School of Art (Melbourne, Australia) in 2019. Since 2023, Océane has been pursuing the Master’s program in Visual and Media Arts at UQÀM. Her works have been showcased by Ada X, La Bande Vidéo, as well as Struts Gallery (Sackville, New Brunswick), and she participated in the 6th edition of the artch festival.

> https://www.oceanebuxton.com/ 

> https://www.instagram.com/brunettemadamette/