Art is the Solution

J'habite au Choc Source: Pinterest I first encountered J'habite au Choc (I Live in Shock) while scrolling through Instagram one day. I was immediately struck by the piece, thinking “what an interesting painting of a haunted house.” However, it wasn’t until I read the caption and started doing my own research that I began to realize the true depth and complexity of the piece. J'habite au Choc was created by Canadian artist Mimi Parent, one of the most important North American Surrealists. Parent is known for incorporating three dimensional materials into her art and is particularly famous for her sculptural tableaux boxes. Her art explores mythological, and folkloric subjects, as well as scenes and objects from her own imagination. While J'habite au Choc clearly acknowledges the idea of the haunted house in Western culture, the image itself seems to be entirely the product of Parent’s own unconscious mind. It is my opinion that Surrealist art taps into the psyche in...