Sylvain Tremblay

Artist statement

I have always been fascinated by the human body. This theme is the focus of virtually all my artistic work. After my collegial studies, I considered becoming a medical illustrator. I saw it as a way of combining my twin passions for art and science, but I didn’t have the stomach for it: I found the idea of handling inert bodies repugnant!

And so, I found my own way of handling the human body. I think of myself as a visual artist who incorporates hyper-textured characters into his work. Representing flesh, they form an expression of the body and convey its emotions and sensitivity. These characters exist in abstract universes. They are sometimes women, sometimes men. I feel no need to define them: they are simply Man – human beings around whom the viewer can create his or her own scenario.

When I paint, I find it impossible to analyze my work method. It’s instinctive. I want the public to be able to interpret it in their own way. I want to leave a certain vagueness, so that viewers can discover the work and feel it for themselves. I try to suggest rather than showing. Through shapes, colors and textures, I leave the viewer in a world of suggestions. I always appreciate it when people tell me what they see or perceive: for me, that’s what the work is about. All of this requires me to be flexible.

In most of my pieces, the contrast between high-gloss varnish and matt canvas makes the subject stand out. The mirror effect of the varnish makes the looker an integral part of the work. I use relief, manipulating the surface to suggest that the subject is stepping out of the pictorial environment. My art is intuitive.

Sylvain Tremblay’s works are exhibited in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He is represented at the Opera Gallery, the Iris Art Gallery, the Thompson Landry Gallery and the Markowicz Fine Art Gallery. In the fall of 2016, he was one of three Canadians to represent Canada for the G20 in China. Based in Dubai from 2012 to 2016, where he taught modern art history at the Canadian University, Sylvain Tremblay then moved to New York. In November 2019, Tremblay was selected to present a live performance at the opening of the Canada Pavilion as part of the Expo 2020 in Dubai. Recently, a work by Tremblay was chosen by UNESCO to create a mask and participate in the Mask Art exhibition as part of the World Day for Cultural Diversity.