John Latour’s text-based art, sculpture, and found photography highlight the ways in which we connect with the past, and how this uniquely human activity is mediated through words, objects, and images. Since 1999, the artist has worked on an ongoing series of text-based art that draws on literary sources such as Frankenstein and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. By painting over certain words and passages of text, he creates new and ambiguous stories. Framed and hung salon-style, they resemble inspirational mottos or proverbs from the past.


John Latour is a Montreal-based visual artist who works in a range of media including sculpture and installation, found photography, page art, and artists’ books. Latour holds a BFA in Studio Arts, a MLIS, and a MA in Art History. He is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec – and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (as a member of the research group Elastic Spaces). Latour has had solo exhibitions in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and London (UK) and he has participated in group exhibitions across Canada and abroad. His work is found in the Hallmark Fine Art Collection (Kansas City), the Fine Art Collection of the City of Ottawa, and the Tom Tomson Art Gallery (Owen Sound) in addition to numerous private collections. Recently, his photographic work was featured at the United Contemporary (Toronto) in a solo exhibition titled "Thursday’s Child".