QUÉBEC, March 19, 2024 /CNW/ - The Musée de la civilisation, the creative company Ex Machina and its artistic director Robert Lepage present Wrestling: Québec in the Ring, an exhibition that combines theatrical art and museology to portray wrestling, its characters and its evolution in Québec as we have never seen before. The thematic, rarely portrayed in Québec's museology history, is showcased through the scenography that embodies the audacity and techniques of Ex Machina, Robert Lepage and the Musée de la civilisation, with image theatre and optical illusions, but also an historical, social and cultural mural.
You do not have to be a wrestling enthusiast to dive into this surprising universe. Sport? Entertainment? Theatre? Circus? All these definitions can be true, everything is in the eye of the beholder. Practised in every culture from time immemorial, wrestling embodies a primal instinct we all share, it goes far beyond the tricks we associate to it. Its meaning is found not only in the ring, but also around the ring, creating a catharsis, or a strong emotion, in every spectator from every horizon.
That is the foundation of this original exhibition, giving us the opportunity to see the subtleties of the social and cultural mutations of Québec's society through the evolution of wrestling, an unforeseen, but fascinating observation ground that allows us to realize the likeness of these two dimensions and the way they coexist.
Travel through the defining eras of wrestling, of its industry, its symbols and its locations, from barns to the Madison Square Garden, and discover a device that reproduces a scale model of the mythical amphitheatre. From Louis Cyr and the other strong men (and women!) who have captivated the audience with their superhuman demonstrations, we move from the countryside to the city, we revisit the advent of television, creating a phenomenon and raising the wrestlers to the rank of international stars. The various wrestling moves, the different wrestling types found around the world, in the civilizations' history and in other anthropological and cultural dimensions are also showcased in this compelling exhibition.
The creative approach, unique to Ex Machina and Robert Lepage, is present. A story is told through devices playing with perspectives, creating a sense of wonder and using old visual technology such as the mutoscope, the praxinoscope or the magic lantern, stereoscopy and even Pepper's ghost. Nearly 500 objects make up the eclectic collection, 363 of them come from the collection of Jean-François Leduc, a collector from Montréal. The other objects are from the collections of the Musée de la civilisation or were loaned from many people, museums, organizations—including the mythical WWE—as well as former professional wrestlers.
"Through this exhibition, we bring performances to the Musée and use storytelling to present wrestling. Both the subject and the way it is presented are fascinating, as is everything created by Ex Machina and Robert Lepage. The Musée was truly excited to collaborate with this team, to share their expertise and to present, together, Wrestling: Québec in the Ring, which explores wrestling, but it also exposes us, as human beings and as a society, acting as an eye-opener." Stéphan La Roche, Chief Executive Officer, Musée de la civilisation
"To me, wrestling is an extreme artistic discipline combining the art of combat with circus and theatre arts. As I delved deeper into its history, I realized that it also expresses the very culture of a people. Wrestling is another way of exploring the great eras of Québec's history, from the strong men of the last centuries to our contemporary hero-wrestlers." Robert Lepage, artistic director, Ex Machina
Highlights:
- It is wrestling that inspired Ex Machina and the Musée de la civilisation to join their creative forces for this third collaboration, after Métissages (2000) and La bibliothèque, la nuit (2016). The Musée de la civilisation, Ex Machina and Robert Lepage, all passionate about combat art, started talking about this project in 2020.
- Many objects in this exhibition are true historical treasures of Québec's wrestling scene. Of the 493 objects in the collection, 57 came from the collections of the Musée de la civilisation, 70 were loaned from various individuals, wrestlers, museums and organizations, and 363 came from the collection of Montréal collector Jean-François Leduc. This loan has made it possible to exhibit Tiger Jackson's (Claude Giroux) costumes, as well as a wide range of derivative products and rare collector's items that will bring back fond memories for wrestling fans and captivate curious minds.
- Other lenders include Raymond Rougeau, Jacques Rougeau, Richard Vigneault aka Rick Martel, Gino Brito, Lionel Provost, members of Yvon Robert's family, and famous Québec wrestler Kevin Owens.
- Pat Laprade, wrestling presenter and historian, also contributed by lending some of his personal collections. He also put us in touch with wrestling figures and was a consultant during the creation process.
- World Wrestling Entertainment has loaned items belonging to André The Giant, well known in Québec as the Géant Ferré, Pat Patterson, Luna Vachon, Ivan Koloff, Rick Martel, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Jacques Rougeau in his character "The Mountie."
- The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Musée Saint-Raymond in Toulouse (France) have generously agreed to lend precious objects from ancient Greece. They are displayed in an environment where visitors can observe a variety of material evidence representing some of the wrestling forms practised in the history and cultures of the world. Olympian and judoka Nicolas Gill lent his judogi to present judo, a well-known Japanese martial art.
- As a testament to the exceptional rigour displayed by the design and production teams, the reconstructions presented in the exhibition using models of all sizes were created with great attention to detail, both in terms of architectural proportions and materials used.
- North Shore Pro Wrestling, Québec's best federation of the year for the past thirteen (13) years, has been promoting professional wrestling in Québec for the past 15 years. From the Centre Horizon in Limoilou to the Diamant, its popularity continues to grow, with an ever larger and more diverse pool of fans. Its wrestlers Marko Estrada, Travis Toxic and Loue O'Farrell took part in the filming of a large-scale projection that takes centre stage in the exhibition and features various wrestling moves.
About Ex Machina 
and Robert Lepage
Under the artistic direction of Robert Lepage, Ex Machina creates, produces and disseminates multidisciplinary artistic works, most often theatrical. The company brings together creators from several fields of activity and offers a broad range of artistic production: original plays written and performed solo or collectively, plays based on existing texts, productions in which various disciplines (dance, music, museology) mingle with theatre, operas and multimedia productions featuring a predominantly technological dimension. The multidisciplinary artist, Robert Lepage is all at once an actor, a director, a playwright and a stage director. Hailed by international critics, his original, contemporary and unusual works, inspired by recent history, transcend borders and challenge the standards of scenic writing, particularly through the use of new technologies.
The Musée de la civilisation offers a cultural, educational and interactive experience that has been moving and captivating audiences for more than thirty years. As a place of knowledge and ideas, this society museum looks at the human experience with a new and often unexpected point of view. Young and old are carried away by its original and daring exhibitions that transport them into different universes, into the biggest cities of the world, into important sociocultural movements at the heart of Québec's society and into important historical moments. A place where we can gather to better understand the past, build the present and dream the future, together.
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