CURFEW Edition | Art journey under the Montreal skies

Museums and galeries remain shut until a New World Order. Thankfully, amateurs of visual arts can fall back on public art, abundant in Montreal. What we are currently living is an opportune time to (re) discover these accessible, exterior works of art.

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been repeatedly urged to spend more time outdoors, not only for our physical but mental state. Let’s map out an art journey, between 5 and 8PM and indulge in our city’s most beautified walls courtesy of local and international artists.

Five8

Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec FIVE8 is a multidisciplinary. Painter by trade with a graffiti art background, his style and technique arise from a graphic evolution of stylized letterforms. Favoring bold aesthetic over political commentary, his murals are maximized by dynamic compositions and vivid contrasting colors.

From 2009 and 2014 his art installations were largely presented in shows and Canadian mural festivals, as well as private and corporate commissions. In 2017, FIVE was invited to several European mural festivals to produce works with international artists in exchange for know how and ideas.

Richard MORIN

Richard Morin career began as an artistic painter in the early 1990’s. A degree in arts and media followed by another in scenography at the National Theatre School of Canada (1988), Richard did several internships in Paris where he also took courses at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

Upon his return to Montreal, he collaborated in 3 Cirque du Soleil productions and worked as a designer for a couple of notable plays produced at the Théâtre de l’Oeil. The theatre world rewarded him with several prizes (Masques’s prize, Chalmers’s prize) for the quality and originality of his decor.

His first mural came into fruition with MU in 2011 for the National Theatre School’s 50th anniversary, Les conteurs (The Storytellers). It is located on the Plateau.

Dominique DESBIENS

A multi-disciplinary artist, Dominique Desbiens started in 1990’s with cartoons, directing several publishing projects. He also worked in illustration and design through the graphic conception of posters, book covers, record sleeves and editorial illustrations.

In 2007, Dominique published an art and poetry book ”Il manque aux humains un prédateur” (Humans Need a Predator), in which his drawings, photographs, paintings, sculptures and murals illustrate his views. His journeys as a painter evolves through many exhibits, large scale public performances and live painting.

EN MASSE

EN MASSE is a Montreal based, multi-artist collaborative drawing project.  It draws life from the many creative individuals who take part in the project to create large-scale, highly spontaneous drawings in black and white. They explore the creation of a collective vision; works created together that are greater than any one person could create alone.

The EN MASSE Project nurtures the broadening and solidification of artistic communities everywhere it goes, serving artists from very diverse backgrounds ( graphic novels, graffiti, tattoo, illustration, design and the fine arts).

Rafael SOTTOLICHIO

From Santiago, Chile the visual artist Rafael Sottolichio is well versed in the arts having earned a BFA in 1996 and an MFA in 2009 at UQAM. Sottolichio is active in numerous solo and group exhibitions.

Part of his portfolio includes a number of murals, including including La maison que nous avons bâtie (The House That We Have Built) in 2007 for the Integration of a Public Work of Art Competition and the Pere-Marquette Centre in the Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie borough, and the one for the Patro Le Prévost community and recreation centre, Ensemble, in 2009. He is represented by the Lacerte Contemporary Art Gallery.

Kevin Ledo

Kevin Ledo’s artistic practice has crossed many paths including mural/street art, fine art, and gold leaf art installations. He aims to create visually bold, and iconic compositions, focusing on portraiture and the human form interlaced with stylized abstract forms. Ledo’s figures are mostly void of foreground and background, and are suspended in a minimalistic and slightly surreal world, captured in moments of contemplation, intimacy, emotion and wonderment.

Ledo has created murals and exhibited his artwork worldwide, notably at ModeMuseum in Hasselt, Belgium and Arsenal in Montreal. As an on going contributor of the En Masse project, Ledo has painted with the group at numerous art fairs, museums and events including the Musée des beaux- arts de Montréal and Art San Diego, among other North American destinations.

HSIX

Since his early teens Hsix has been doing graffiti in Montreal. In the past few years, he’s produced artistic murals that are less graffiti oriented. His trademark is colourful, realistic representations of faces.

Beyond controversy and the causes that motivate his art, Hsix is an amazing portraitist and well respected in Montreal’s urban art scene. He is part of the very select 156 All Starz, an international crew bringing together globally the best graffiti writers. Check out his Instagram page for more information and pic graffiti pieces and street art work.

MILLO

Italian artist Francesco Camillo Giorgino, known under the name MILLO, is an adept of large (and superlarge) murals. The black and white of his poetic and childlike compositions contrast with highlights in strong colours, making his style one of the most recognizable, through intersecting lines that incorporate architectural elements.

A superb homage to urban life and humanity. MILLO draws on local culture for inspiration, the specificities and characteristics of the city or the neighbourhood which welcome his murals. While he has painted on all continents, this mural painted for MU was the first he created in Canada.

Ola VOLO

Ola Volo (BFA, Emily Carr University) is a Canadian illustrator from Kazakhstan with a distinctive style drawn from history, multiculturalism and folklore. Her intricate works bring animals, people, architecture and nature together to articulate diverse stories rich with symbolism and elaborate forms. Ola creates winding narratives that acknowledge the subtleties of human nature while celebrating the little surprises of everyday life.

Ola’s work is widely recognized for its inventiveness and imaginative gesture; every character is full of spirited personality and inhabits a dynamic environment. Her creation also lends itself often to the public realm with many of her murals helping to shape and beautify outdoor spaces across the world.

As well as creating commissions for a wide range of international clients including Starbucks, Louis Vuitton, Lululemon and Volkswagen, Volo also finds time to do her own gallery artwork.

Jason Cantoro

Originally from Montreal, Jason Cantoro is a graduate of UQAM in visual and media arts (2006). Cantoro uses silk screening techniques to transfer photos depicting urban scenes (buildings, streets, cityscapes) to a wide variety of media.

Jason superimposes drawings and paintings to create a surreal and dynamic universe with a slightly vintage feel.

More on local multimedia? Check out the award winning documentary, Into the light with Cité Mémoire.