Jérôme Fortin : Autoportraits

Self-Portraits

Jérôme Fortin has returned to Japanese culture for inspiration in his latest production, a series titled Autoportraits that he is presenting at Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain from September 3 to October 18, 2008. The work was produced last fall as part of an artist residency at TOKYO WONDER SITE (www.tokyo-ws.org), a centre for contemporary art production, research, presentation, and exchange.

Fortin created his "Self-Portraits" from paper-based objects he found and collected while strolling through the streets of Tokyo. The series is primarily inspired by the traditional practice and healing ritual of Senbazuru, or Thousand Origami Cranes. Also informed by his prior experiences in Japan, the works are suggestive of kimonos, of the fabric they are made from, and of their mode of presentation in shop window displays and museums.

Autoportraits recalls the Écrans (Screens) series that Fortin presented in a solo exhibition at the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal (www.macm.org), in spring 2007.

The artist would like to thank Tokyo Wonder Site, the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo, the Conseil des arts du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.


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Born in Joliette in 1971, Jérôme Fortin has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His installations have been selected for significant exhibitions such as "La Biennale de Montréal 1998", "Growth & Risk Québec New York" (2001), "Officina America" in Bologna, Italy (2002) and "L'envers des apparences" in Montéal, Québec (2005). He recently had a major solo exhibition at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (2007). His work can be found in the collections of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée d'art de Joliette and several private collections. For more information on Jérôme Fortin please consult his personal website: http://www.jeromefortin.com