Untitled and Timely by Bret Parenteau
As part of the 2026 STEPS Public Art Residency, Bret Parenteau, a sound/noise artist based in Winnipeg, created two photographic artworks that were transformed into large-scale vinyl installations on the Artspace Building, home of project partner PLATFORM centre for photographic + digital arts.
Project at a glance
Location: 100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Artists: Bret Parenteau
Documentarians: Bret Parenteau
Year: 2026
Services: Artist Capacity Building
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artist-in-residence
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photographic artworks
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partner
About Untitled and Timely by Bret Parenteau
Located in Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District, Untitled and Timely are two photographic artworks by local artist Bret Parenteau, transformed into large-scale vinyl installations on the Artspace Building, home of project partner PLATFORM centre for photographic + digital arts.
Drawing from familiar objects, spaces, and moments, Parenteau’s work explores the relationship between memory, time, and the everyday. Stripped of colour and removed from their original context, the photographs create a sense of familiarity while remaining open to individual interpretation. By enlarging these quiet moments and placing them within the urban environment, the works invite passersby to reconsider ordinary imagery and the memories or associations it can hold.
As Parenteau describes the works: “Subtle, colourless familiarity. Placed stuck in time, open for interpretation. Everyday memory redesigned and reimagined.”
Installed as vinyl murals, Untitled and Timely bring contemporary photography into Winnipeg’s public realm, creating moments of reflection amid the distinctive heritage architecture and activity of the Exchange District.
“I have been apart of a lot of group exhibitions as of late, so I have wanted to get pieces of mine more seen. This was a perfect opportunity…I learned that it doesn’t always have to be a gruelling process. The project went incredibly well and I will be recommending it to others. The reactions were nothing short of ecstatic.”
About the Artist
Bret Parenteau
Bret Parenteau is a sound/noise artist based in Winnipeg. Under Wasauksing Sniper and the initials B.P., Parenteau creates noise, field recording, sound collage & tape manipulation. Most recently Bret has been working on film scores for short & feature length films. Creating the scores for Ste. Anne (2021), NIGIQTUQ (The South Wind) (2023), Klee (2025), & Levers (2025). Parenteau’s collage work have been featured for releases on his local cassette label Makade Star. In addition his latest work has been included in local galleries on Treaty 1 Territory; such as Urban Shaman, Galerie Buhler Gallery, Rosemary Gallery, and Treaty 4’s Godfrey Dean Art Gallery.
Funders
The 2026 STEPS Public Art Residency is made possible by support from TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment.
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