Artists
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Sylvain Bouthillette
Shovel Method
54" x 66"
Oil, spraypaint and pencil on wood
2006
Sylvain Bouthillette lives and works in Montréal. He graduated from Concordia University with a Master's degree in visual arts in 1990. Since then, he has presented his work in numerous individual exhibitions (Galerie Trois Points, Langage Plus in Alma, Plein Sud in Longueuil, L’oeil de poisson in Québec) and in collective shows in Québec, Ontario and Switzerland. In order to highlight his production since the end of the 80s, The Regional Museum of Rimouski and the Centre EXPRESSION of St-Hyacinthe coproduced "Dharma Bum," a retrospective show of the work of this prolific artist in mid-career. A written catalogue by Bernard Lamarche, who curated the exhibition, accompanies the project, which traveled across Québec and Canada.
In the last few years, the work of Sylvain Bouthillette has made a mark for itself through his creations inspired by the Buddhist quest of spiritual awakening. The animal motif (cat, gorilla, squirrel, crow, hare and caribou) is one of the many aspects of his work that is responsible for his success in the art world. "The principal idea of my work is a kind of conscious meditation, which includes images and objects of daily life." From this theme, Bouthillette proposes a necessary spiritual transformation because the instinct of ownership we have towards these material objects freezes us and prevents our evolution. The desire to possess is due to the fear of emptiness, which is equal to the fear of losing our individual identities.
“Bouthillette’s work is a joyous and subversive mélange of anarchist thought, Buddhist iconography, art history and his own being – caught up in a rowdy whirligig of hectic flux on the gangplank to Noah’s ark. He is at once altruist, Buddhist, sage, tough-love spiritual counsellor and quasi-Marxist activist. His art is synonymous with his spiritual practice, it’s impossible to know where one leaves off and the other begins. His art is intended as a catalyst: if his avowed goal is to get us to know our own true selves better, his paintings are templates for deconstructing who we think we are.”
James D. Campbell
"Tiger Tiger. The ferocious compassion of Sylvain Bouthillette"
Canadian Art Magazine, Summer 2008
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