JOHANNE CORNO SYLVAIN TREMBLAY - Opera Gallery
JOHANNE CORNO SYLVAIN TREMBLAY - Opera Gallery
JOHANNE CORNO SYLVAIN TREMBLAY - Opera Gallery
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<strong>JOHANNE</strong> <strong>CORNO</strong><br />
<strong>SYLVAIN</strong> <strong>TREMBLAY</strong><br />
1
<strong>JOHANNE</strong> <strong>CORNO</strong><br />
<strong>SYLVAIN</strong> <strong>TREMBLAY</strong><br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition that includes a retrospective of artworks by<br />
two renowned contemporary artists from Canada: Johanne Corno and Sylvain Tremblay. These artists play a<br />
vital role in the American Art Market. One by her thick texture mostly realized by a brightness of colors depicting<br />
erotic faces. The other, by his very unique technique, combining an abundance of materials on canvas. On the<br />
way she underlines the faces of her characters, in their eyes and the freedom and ecstasy they express, we cannot<br />
deny that Corno’s work is inspired by American pop art and artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein<br />
from the 60s and 70s. On the other hand, the composition of Tremblay’s paintings can refer to American street<br />
art and artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat.<br />
Johanne Corno is a Canadian female artist based in New York, who distinguishes her style by representing erotic<br />
faces. Inspired by neo pop art, her style is very much orbiting towards a use of bright and funky colors slashed<br />
and applied roughly with a handful of strokes. These multiple strokes therefore create movement, dynamism<br />
and momentum: beautiful and sumptuous faces accentuated by the movement of their hair and the rotation of<br />
their faces.<br />
Sylvain Tremblay is another well - established artist who combines resin and lacquer on canvas. His type of<br />
representation draws its lines between abstraction and figurative. Individuals represented on his canvases are<br />
limited significantly by the use of outer lines underlining simply and specifically their silhouettes. Characters of<br />
men and women are mainly presented on the foreground whereas the background focuses on colors and shine<br />
with the use of acrylic, mosaics of colors and a varnish that emphasizes the brightness of the piece compared to<br />
the plasticity of the metallic lustre.<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> wishes you a prosper year and a pleasant evening in our special exhibition. We hope the event<br />
will inspire our observers’ imagination and strive them into new heights and new ideas.<br />
Once again, we look forward to seeing you in <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>.<br />
Gilles Dyan<br />
Founder and Chairman<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Group<br />
Ahmad Bachan<br />
Manager<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Dubai<br />
2 3
In a city where the skyline is populated with towering skyscrapers, the French limestone façade of the 14 - storey<br />
Ritz - Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) represents a bold and refreshing contrast among its lofty<br />
neighbours. The 341- room hotel, with 124 executive residences, offers an elegantly contemporary design and art<br />
deco elements within a stately exterior.<br />
Keeping with the overall master plan of the adjacent financial district which is determinedly low- rise and urban in<br />
design, world -renowned architect Gensler, ensured The Ritz - Carlton maintained this original vision while drawing<br />
influence from the best European architecture. The urban environment of The Ritz - Carlton was considered at every<br />
opportunity and is showcased with a sunken garden, colonnade, and abundance of lush, shaded outdoor terraces,<br />
a revealing Middle Eastern influence. The private, residential feel one would expect from a noble chateau is<br />
established with the private courtyard and porte cochere; it is delicately balanced by intentional feng shui elements<br />
including eight striking water features throughout the hotel and a dramatic 10 - storey outdoor waterfall cascading<br />
down the building and into the courtyard.<br />
“There are many water elements throughout the hotel which provide a soothing aesthetic quality to such an urban<br />
location,” says General Manager Lothar Quarz. “The fact that modern design wisdom perceives the constant flow of<br />
water to be auspicious bodes well for our hotel which we hope will be a hit among wedding and meeting planners.”<br />
Entering the hotel lobby, all eyes are automatically drawn upwards to the three-storey high lobby ceiling. In lieu of a<br />
traditional chandelier showpiece, 44 crystal stems designed to resemble frosted branches in the moonlight, illuminate<br />
the lobby. Each of these contemporary light sculptures are meticulously positioned by hand to the silver leaf ceiling,<br />
and comprises of full lead crystals in various sizes and shapes - octagon, tear drop, almond, square, pendeloque, and<br />
pear. These visual masterpieces are by the renowned Prague-based lighting artisans at Lasvit (the name, a blend of<br />
two Czech words meaning “love” and “light,”) who have created some of the most original light installations around<br />
the world.<br />
A unique concept in hotel design, The Ritz - Carlton, DIFC offers two separate planes from which guests can access<br />
the hotel and facilities, the lobby and the podium level. Providing traditional ground level access at the lobby level,<br />
guests can find the front desk, guest services and Can Can, the all- day dining French brasserie. The podium level<br />
features a walkway directly attached to Dubai International Financial Centre, and is the only hotel to do so. The social<br />
hub will be at No. 5 Lounge & Bar that is located in the prime welcoming position at the end of this pathway. The<br />
room is masculine in texture and tone with leather panelled walls and a dark walnut plank floor; perfect for relaxing<br />
with a drink and cigar.<br />
The Lobby Lounge & Terrace which overlooks the main hotel reception is designed as a sleek salon with tailored furniture<br />
and low tables situated on custom designed oriental carpets. Combined with the contemporary Lasvit chandelier,<br />
the overall effect is one of glamour.<br />
The Center Cut steak restaurant balances a palette of dark burgundy wine and rich butterscotch, with wood plank<br />
floors surrounded by dark green marble. The central banquette features a sculptural whirlwind of handmade glass<br />
leaves supported by silver cables. Striking ink-on-paper portraits of bulls are featured throughout the room. In contrast<br />
to the muted tones of Center Cut and No. 5 Lounge & Bar, the signature fine dining Thai restaurant, Blue Rain, offers<br />
a very minimal design emphasized by blue and gold shades. A water feature spills down one wall and through<br />
the centre of the room under a glass floor - a very contemporary version of the water in the Court of the Lions at the<br />
Alhambra and a hand-blown glass bubble chandelier, also by Lasvit, runs the entire length of the room. Blue Rain<br />
looks out to the porte cochere from behind the 10 - storey high waterfall in the main courtyard.<br />
A dramatic 30 meter (100 feet) wine wall runs the length of the corridor connecting Center Cut and Blue Rain. Home<br />
to over 3,500 bottles of the finest varietals in the world, it is a focal point for gourmands and wine connoisseurs.<br />
The expansive Samaya Ballroom (Arabic for “My Sky”), measures 1,400 square meters (15,106 square feet), was<br />
a major factor in the overall hotel layout due to its size. The roofscape overtop the ballroom was conceptualized to<br />
make use of the area by bringing an additional element of outdoor space to the property and also creating a rooftop<br />
Fountain Terrace perfect for weddings and other special events. Notable factors that make the Samaya Ballroom a<br />
standout for event planners includes the ground level location, private driveway and hotel entrance, underground<br />
loading dock and service areas, pillar - and chandelier - free function space with ceiling height of six meters (19 feet),<br />
motor vehicle access directly into the ballroom as well as retractable walls which make the room divisible by four.<br />
With the ability to host events from 10 to 1,500 people, The Ritz - Carlton, DIFC is Dubai’s ultimate destination for<br />
stylish and luxurious meetings and events.<br />
Ritz - Carlton guests will feel right at home with fine crystal chandeliers and oriental carpets used throughout the hotel but<br />
in a non -traditional manner with colourful designs of Eastern influence. Inspiration from the Middle East surroundings<br />
can be seen in the featured artwork of Arabian horses.<br />
All guestrooms showcase floor - to - ceiling windows filled with natural light. The spacious feel is continued through<br />
most rooms with glass open-concept bathrooms and each feature televisions embedded in the mirrors. Guestrooms<br />
range from 45 square meters (484 square feet) to 220 square meters (2,368 square feet) in size and all vary in<br />
shape, as well. The two Royal Suites have upholstered walls of creamy silk and matching drapery in the Parlour and<br />
Dining Rooms much like 1940’s Parisian Salons. Each has a study which is wood paneled in Tiger oak and bedrooms<br />
that boast handmade area carpets and silk upholstered walls.<br />
By the numbers:<br />
• Main lobby: 3 levels, 15 meter/49 foot height to ceiling<br />
• 180 Art Deco style chandeliers<br />
• Waterfall: 2,000 litres/528 gallons per minute (fall)<br />
• Ballroom: 3,000 meters/9,843 feet of optic fiber and 15,000 light bulbs<br />
• External passageways: 4,500 meters/14,764 feet<br />
• 50,000 installed electric sources<br />
• 1,200 external lamps<br />
• 5,000 windows<br />
• 40 varieties of plants and trees cover the hotel grounds<br />
• More than 5,000 metric tons of marble and stone from around the world is showcased:<br />
o Façade and interior lobby are made of French limestone (Valange) and Finnish marble<br />
o Internal stones are Italian (Spa), Omani (guestrooms), Moroccan (executive residences’ kitchens), Spanish<br />
(main entrance corridors) and Indian (green marble in Center Cut)<br />
4 5
cOrno’sstatement<br />
I’ve been painting for 30 years. It’s my passion. It gives me life and<br />
energy. The main idea behind my work is an impulse to create a burst of<br />
emotion that makes you go further, that makes you want to conquer the<br />
world. Vivid colors best express this. I paint large because it gives me<br />
room to breathe. I hate constraint. I value freedom and I want to express it<br />
through my art. I see larger than life and that’s what I paint.<br />
I describe my work as new expressionism. My style is a fusion of brilliant<br />
colors, explosive gesture and figurative details with a contemporary<br />
resonance and appeal. My paintings are loaded with raw energy. They<br />
reflect intense emotions of love, passion, death.<br />
Music provides a bubble in which I isolate myself from the world in the<br />
creative process.<br />
The subject matter that interests me is the human body. I have no shame<br />
about it. It’s an object of beauty and an endless source of inspiration.<br />
I try to depict the body of men and women liberated from the censorship<br />
of puritanical attitudes.<br />
New York City is raw, off limits. Within a few miles, you have access to<br />
the whole world. That’s why I choose to live and paint here. I get restless<br />
elsewhere. The city’s rhythm pulsates in my canvases.<br />
Life is full of contradictions. I express these emotions with the contrasts and<br />
dichotomies I portray in any given painting. I bring it all together but there<br />
is never a resolution. It always remains a process, just like modern life.<br />
We live in a world of paradoxes and I’m always on the edge.<br />
I have always believed that I have something to say and to bring to the<br />
world through my art. Nothing can stop me from saying it and following<br />
my vision, my dream. My gestural strokes reflect my unapologetic attitude<br />
- my drive for success, my restless dedication. I can’t imagine not painting.<br />
It’s my destiny<br />
6 Dubai bold on fluo green Mixed media Diptych: 152,5 x 305 cm - 60 x 120 in. 7
8 Dubai bold on pink Mixed media Diptych: 183 x 244 cm - 72 x 96 in.<br />
Dubai bold on blue with teal Mixed media 152,5 x 183 cm - 60 x 72 in. 9
10 Dubai bold on yellow Mixed media Diptych: 152,5 x 305 cm - 60 x 120 in.<br />
Dubai bold on gray Mixed media 122 x 152,5 cm - 48 x 60 in. 11
12 Dubai bold on maroon Mixed media Diptych: 152,5 x 274,5 cm - 60 x 108 in.<br />
13
2<br />
3<br />
1<br />
Dubai bold on:<br />
4<br />
5<br />
1 - white Mixed media 122 x 152,5 cm - 48 x 60 in.<br />
14 2 - fluo orange with gold - 3 - orange - 4 - dark orange - 5 - clear orange Mixed media 152,5 x 122 cm - 60 x 48 in.<br />
15
16 Dubai bold on fluo yellow Mixed media 152,5 x 183 cm - 60 x 72 in. Dubai bold on sky blue Mixed media 152,5 x 183 cm - 60 x 72 in. 17
cOrno’s BIOGRAPHY<br />
ReCENTsolo&GROUPexhibitions<br />
Johanne Corno is a Canadian artist based in New York, who graduated from the University of Quebec in Montreal<br />
and quickly turned to a full time painting career. Her first representation was at the Clarence Gagnon <strong>Gallery</strong> in<br />
Montreal. By the late 1980s, she had become the darling of Montreal collectors and one of the most sought-after<br />
Quebec artists. Her reputation was quickly growing across Canada with shows in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and<br />
Vancouver. She was the featured artist at the Quebec Pavilion at Expo 86 in Vancouver that propelled her visibility<br />
to new heights. During this period and into the early 90s, she was represented by Yves Laroche <strong>Gallery</strong>.<br />
With a strong market in Canada, Corno turned to the US and had shows at the Morgan <strong>Gallery</strong> in Boston and San<br />
Diego State University. But New York City was an irresistible magnet, so she moved there in 1992. To jump-start<br />
her career, she participated in group shows and various art events. Following in the footsteps of O’Keefe and Dalí,<br />
she was the featured artist at Steuben Glass, which placed her paintings in their flagship store on Madison Avenue.<br />
The new millennium brought Corno to <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> in Soho, which began representing her work worldwide.<br />
Playing a balancing act of high - energy dichotomies that stimulate the imagination and throw the viewer off<br />
balance, her new style superimposes itself over underlying intricate figurative details. The resulting fusion has a<br />
contemporary resonance and appeal. A superb colorist, she incorporates intense textures into her surfaces and<br />
uses bold brush strokes.<br />
Her international rise to fame took place in several stages. In 2007, Corno was the Guest of Honor for the Fido<br />
Spot where her work was projected on the largest state of the art outdoor digital projector system in Canada.<br />
Before that, her work was featured at Luminato, Toronto’s Festival of Arts and Creativity, in addition to being shown<br />
at the Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong>.<br />
In 2009, Corno had an important exhibition at <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Singapore titled Corno & Ali Esmaeilipour followed<br />
by her first major exhibition at <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Dubai, a joint exhibition with Wang Yehan. Another major event,<br />
she was the Guest Artist of the Montreal International Jazz Festival for the celebration of their 30 th anniversary that<br />
coincided with the 30 - year mark of her own artistic career. The commissioned painting is on permanent display<br />
at the TD <strong>Gallery</strong> Lounge. An Opening at AKA <strong>Gallery</strong> scheduled to coincide with this event made the evening<br />
news on CBC television. The Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong> in Toronto featured Corno’s work in a special anniversary<br />
celebration of their own gallery. An exhibition at <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> London took place in the fall and showcased<br />
several large murals.<br />
The year 2010 had several landmarks for Corno. First an important exhibition titled In the Mood for Art took place<br />
at <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Hong Kong. Corno also immortalized rock star bad boy, Eric Lapointe by painting his portrait for<br />
the cover of his hit CD album. But the biggest surprise of all was the launch of Cornographie, Corno’s autobiographical<br />
account of her beginnings in New York City published by La Presse Editions. Her anecdotes are whimsical<br />
and her style as colorful as her art. The year ended with a one-woman show at <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> New York simply<br />
titled Corno that was by all accounts a smash hit.<br />
Corno’s works can be found in museums, and corporate and private collections all over the world. In 2009, More<br />
Magazine named her one of the Top 40 over 40 Women in Canada. Later in the year, Chatelaine Magazine<br />
included her in their list of the Top 100 Women in Quebec. After much hard work, she never takes her success<br />
for granted and encourages young artists to follow their dreams because sometimes dreams really do come true.<br />
2012 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno & Tremblay (group show), Dubai, UAE<br />
2011 David Lawrence <strong>Gallery</strong>, West Hollywood, Quebec in<br />
Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA<br />
Roosevelt Hotel, West Hollywood, Quebec in<br />
Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA<br />
TD <strong>Gallery</strong> Lounge, Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan, Art and<br />
Desire, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
2010 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno, New York, USA<br />
Centre National d’Exposition, Le paradoxe du rapprochement,<br />
Jonquière, Saguenay, Quebec, Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, In the Mood for Art (group show), Hong Kong<br />
2009 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno & Eduardo Guelfenbein (group show),<br />
London, UK<br />
AKA <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno & Ali Esmaeilipour (group show), Singapore<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno & Wang Yehan (group show), Dubai, UAE<br />
AKA <strong>Gallery</strong>, Recent Paintings, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
2008 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Roc-Roussey & Corno (group show), New York, USA<br />
Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Calgary, Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno & Moz (group show), Paris, France<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Made in NY (group show), New York, USA<br />
Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Toronto, Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Open Your Heart (group show), Hong Kong<br />
2007 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, New Works, Venice, Italy<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, New Works, Seoul, Korea<br />
Left Coast Galleries, Corno - Recent Works, Los Angeles, USA<br />
Fido Spot Inauguration, Guest of Honor, Multi-media projection,<br />
Toronto, Canada<br />
Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Toronto, Canada<br />
AKA <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno - New Works, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, New Works, London, UK<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno, Hong Kong<br />
2006 Left Coast Galleries, Recent Works, Los Angeles, USA<br />
Left Coast Galleries, Recent Works, Studio City, Los Angeles, USA<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno & Kaplan (group show), Hong Kong<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, New Works, London, UK<br />
Royal Albert Hall, featured artist, Cirque du Soleil, Alegria<br />
Premiere, London, UK<br />
Roof Gardens, featured artist, Cirque du Soleil, Alegria<br />
Premiere, London, UK<br />
Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong>, Recent Works, Toronto, Canada<br />
Ars Vivesco (group show), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada<br />
Éco - Musée du Fier Monde, Exposition Enchantée, Montreal,<br />
Quebec, Canada<br />
2005 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno, New York, USA<br />
Columbus Circle, Techno - Graffiti Event, New York, USA<br />
Splash Light Studio & Sweet Spot, Featured artist, Casablanca<br />
Event for Jay- J & Latrice Barnet, with Vasili & Matthieu Lagarde,<br />
François Ayrault & AntiGravity, New York, USA<br />
The Train, Prêt - à - Porter Paris - New York, Featured artist,<br />
New York, USA<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Kaleidoscope, Paris, France<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Recent Works, Hong Kong<br />
Méliès at l’Ex-Centris, New Works, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Ars Vivesco (group show), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada<br />
Éco - Musée du Fier Monde, Exposition Enchantée, Montreal,<br />
Quebec, Canada<br />
2004 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno, Paris, France<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Recent Paintings, New York, USA<br />
Black and Blue Festival, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
2003 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Larger than Life, New York, USA<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Explosions of Color, Miami, USA<br />
2001 Galerie d’Art Yves Laroche, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Michel Blais <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Vancouver, Canada<br />
2000 Selima <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), New York, USA<br />
Steuben Glass, A Touch of the Exotic, featured artist, New York, USA<br />
Paul LaBrecque Salon, New York, USA<br />
Atmosphere <strong>Gallery</strong>, Portraits of New York, New York, USA<br />
Atmosphere <strong>Gallery</strong>, Next, New York, USA<br />
Atmosphere <strong>Gallery</strong>, Vision, New York, USA<br />
Atmosphere <strong>Gallery</strong>, November, New York, USA<br />
Atmosphere <strong>Gallery</strong> Opening, New York, USA<br />
Art Mode <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno Exposed, Calgary, Canada<br />
18 19
tremblay’s statement<br />
It’s like when you’re young and want to be a writer. First you have to live and travel<br />
and learn so that you have a story to tell. The same is true with painting.<br />
The images I paint are a celebration of the hopeful and cheerful aspects of human<br />
life. I use acrylics and a top coat of varnish. I create human forms in a matte finish,<br />
set against an abstract, hyper glossy background of color planes. My works are<br />
almost sculptural; the roughly - sketched figures seem to emerge through the backdrop,<br />
presenting themselves on canvas.<br />
I’m an urban artist. I examine how the materials of a city grow and decay, like in<br />
nature.<br />
Just as the landscape painter understands trees and the color of the sky, I understand<br />
the textures of a city.<br />
My work is an illusion of freedom; my style seems to flow freely, but in reality, the<br />
concept has already been conceived in the most precise detail.<br />
My upcoming projects will be inspired by new environments, by a new urban life in<br />
bigger cities. My inspiration now comes from China, where I have been living parttime<br />
for the last year.<br />
Beijing, the city of change! Everything goes so fast. I have to be ready to accept and<br />
feel the real moment; the one that makes me insecure. When this happens, I want to<br />
break the limits and express my discomfort using colors and textures.<br />
My work becomes more sculptural. My art is more like the spontaneous manipulation<br />
of the soul; it rises, it’s stronger. I use each experience like a message I must deliver. I<br />
explore every new city and every new painting as if it was the very first time, without<br />
limits or judgment calls, like an artist who must expel the history of humans.<br />
My art is intuitive yet meticulously process-driven.<br />
I want to always<br />
paint by instinct<br />
20 Temps nouveau d’un être Mixed media 61 x 61 cm - 24 x 24 in.<br />
21
Dame aux espaces modernes Mixed media 152,5 x 122 cm - 60 x 48 in.<br />
22 Phase double expression Mixed media 91,5 x 91,5 cm - 36 x 36 in. 23
24 Plaine du temps Mixed media 61 x 122 cm - 24 x 48 in.<br />
25
Hautes perspectives 1 Mixed media 305 x 45,5 cm - 120 x 18 in.<br />
26 Êtres de lumière intemporels Mixed media Triptych: 152,5 x 213,5 cm - 60 x 84 in. 27
28 Dame au rocher Mixed media 61 x 61 cm - 24 x 24 in. Le grand parc de la falaise rouge Mixed media Triptych: 183 x 213,5 cm - 72 x 84 in. 29
30 Affection intemporelle Mixed media 152,5 x 152,5 cm - 60 x 60 in. Haute attitude sans temps Mixed media 213,5 x 152,5 cm - 84 x 60 in. 31
tremblay’s BIOGRAPHY<br />
ReCENTsolo&GROUPexhibitions<br />
Sylvain Tremblay was born in 1966 in Quebec City, Canada, and lives and works in<br />
Montreal. He has had exhibitions throughout Canada and the United States.<br />
In collections all over the world, canvas upon canvas attest to the enormous richness of<br />
the artist’s imagination and seemingly endless creative energy.<br />
Sylvain Tremblay is a well-established artist who combines resin and lacquer on canvas.<br />
Between abstraction and figurative, the silhouettes of his paintings appear thanks to outer<br />
lines underlining them.<br />
The paintings, boldly glowing with Sylvain Tremblay’s signature veneer, have streamlined<br />
compositions playing against the abstract checkerboard of colour planes. They serve as<br />
backdrops for the textural figures in his work. The paintings are striking, the emerging<br />
human form roughly - sketched, elongated figures. As one approaches the painting, the<br />
many layers of varnish, undulating, almost moving, begin to release their hidden images<br />
creating an abstract landscape for the human forms within the piece.<br />
Sylvain Tremblay’s works have always been anchored in the inescapable passage of time,<br />
use and texture. His themes converge on the human condition in an industrialized, urban<br />
context. Although the artist works on canvas, he sees his paintings as something closer<br />
to sculpture. Tremblay shapes his human figures with the idea in mind of a sculpture,<br />
weathered by time and the natural elements. “Just as the experiences in life weather us<br />
physically and emotionally, I want to express this in art, that’s why I like to work with<br />
texture; the crackling and the overall look of used, weathered and lived in.”<br />
Tremblay’s gaunt, elongated silhouettes have been compared to the work of master<br />
sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Working texture upon texture, color and more color, the<br />
artist’s sculptural, undulating figures incorporate gesso, metal, sand or textiles. These<br />
“urban” forms intertwine history with modernity with the absence of time and location,<br />
which enhances the mystifying sense of immortality and the human condition as themes<br />
in his work.<br />
If imitation is indeed the highest form of flattery, then Sylvain Tremblay should consider<br />
himself flattered. It seems his unique style has inspired others to follow step, but instead of<br />
provoking anxiety, this unexpected form of artistic tip of the hat only spurred the painter<br />
into a new level of meaning and passion in his work.<br />
2012 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Corno & Tremblay (group show), Dubai, UAE<br />
2011 Caochangdi Art <strong>Gallery</strong>, Beijing, China<br />
Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong>, Toronto, Canada<br />
2010 World Universal Exhibition, Canada Pavilion, Shanghai,<br />
China<br />
Galerie Lydia Monaro (group show), Montreal, Quebec,<br />
Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Silhouette of Dreams (group show), Singapore<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, New York, USA<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Esmaeilipour & Tremblay (group show),<br />
Hong Kong<br />
2009 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Timeless (group show), Seoul, Korea<br />
Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong>, Toronto, Canada<br />
2008 Thompson Landry <strong>Gallery</strong>, Toronto, Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Hong Kong<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, official book launch Sylvain Tremblay,<br />
New York, USA<br />
2007 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Cisinsky & Tremblay (group show),<br />
London, UK<br />
Galerie d’art Iris, Baie - Saint-Paul, Quebec, Canada<br />
Art <strong>Gallery</strong>, Nassau, Commonwealth of the Bahamas<br />
2006 <strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), New York, USA<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Singapore<br />
Contrast <strong>Gallery</strong>, Brussels, Belgium<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Miami, USA<br />
2005 2 nd Beijing International Art Biennale, Artist selected to<br />
represent Canada, Beijing, China<br />
Quebec Week, Artist selected to represent the province of<br />
Quebec by the Quebec General Delegation in Brussels,<br />
Silly, Belgium<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Hong Kong<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Goddesses (group show), New York, USA<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> (group show), Miami, USA<br />
2004 6 th Art International Zurich Artfair, Artist selected to<br />
represent the continent of America, NKE <strong>Gallery</strong>, Zurich,<br />
Switzerland<br />
Uncensored, Artist invited by the New Yorker Magazine,<br />
New York, USA<br />
Contrast <strong>Gallery</strong>, Brussels, Belgium<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Timeless textures (group show), Singapore<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Timeless women (group show), Singapore<br />
2003 Galerie Lydia Monaro, Murmures urbains, Montreal,<br />
Quebec, Canada<br />
Eighteen Restaurant, Ottawa, Canada<br />
Galerie d’art Iris, Temps au jardin, Baie - Saint-Paul,<br />
Quebec, Canada<br />
<strong>Opera</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Regards sur le temps (group show),<br />
New York, USA<br />
2002 Galerie Lydia Monaro, Les intemporels, Montreal,<br />
Quebec, Canada<br />
Galerie Bénédicte Gauthier Summer, Réflexion du temps,<br />
Paris, France<br />
Galerie d’art Iris, Harmonique du temps, Montreal,<br />
Quebec, Canada<br />
2001 Galerie Lydia Monaro, Gens du nouveau millénaire,<br />
Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Grand Prix du Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Grand Prix, Indianapolis, USA<br />
2000 Galerie Tremblay-Monet, Fragments humains, Montreal,<br />
Quebec, Canada<br />
Grand Prix du Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Grand Prix, Indianapolis, USA<br />
CORPORATECOMMISSIONS<br />
Borden Ladner Gervais, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Hôtel Le Saint-James, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Hôtel Le Saint-Sulpice, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Newman-Haas Racing LLC, Lincolnshire, USA<br />
Stikeman Elliot, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
Tower Watson & Co, Montreal, Quebec, Canada<br />
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