This summer, Rencontres de la photographie en Gaspésie is enriched by a particularly moving moment with the addition of an off-program exhibition presented in Marsoui that pays tribute to a great Québec photographer and friend of the festival, Gabor Szilasi.
A major figure on the Canadian photography scene, Gabor Szilasi was welcomed as an artist-in-residence in June 2010 at the invitation of Rencontres. True to his humanist approach, he met with the residents of Marsoui – a Gaspesian village of 300 inhabitants – capturing, with accuracy and sensitivity, fragments of life rooted in the territory. This immersion gave rise to a series of black-and-white portraits that are both understated and powerful, deeply grounded in reality.
Titled Portraits marsois, this exhibition is the result of that residency. First presented during the festival’s inaugural edition, 16 years ago, it remains a valuable testament to the bond forged between the artist and the community.
Today, at the request of the residents of Marsoui, and with the generous consent of Gabor Szilasi’s family, Rencontres has chosen to bring this body of work back to life by presenting it once again, outside the official program.
This exhibition is much more than a return to its origins: it is an act of remembrance, a tribute to a generous man, and a celebration of a meaningful encounter between an artist and a place.
In Marsoui this summer, the faces of the past continue to look back at us and tell their stories through the lens of a photographer who was so deeply cherished.
→ About the artist
His fascination with everyday life led him to seek out images that reveal the human presence, whether through portraits, interior scenes, regional architecture or urban landscapes. The artist influenced many photographers. Largely self-taught, Gabor Szilasi began exploring photography in Hungary in 1952 when he purchased his first camera, a Zorki model. In 1956 he documented the Hungarian Revolution in Budapest and, shortly afterward, fled the country, eventually immigrating to Canada in 1957. From 1959 to 1971 he worked as a photographer for the Office du film du Québec (Québec Film Board), covering a wide range of subjects, including Expo 67. Over these years, he developed extensive technical and practical expertise. His numerous and varied assignments took him right across Québec. A towering figure on Québec’s cultural scene, Gabor Szilasi passed away on April 10, 2026, at the age of 98.
→ Information
The exhibition runs from July 15 to September 30
Édifice Couturier | 1, rue du Quai | Marsoui
Opening hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission
Top image : © Gabor Szilasi, Portraits marsois