Dominique Fortin Canadian, b. 1974

 

Dominique Fortin's art is defined as an unwavering exploration of human nature. Initially inspired by modern tradition, her work has evolved into a unique, almost dreamlike style, imbued with fantasy, romanticism, childlike innocence, and brutal emotion. Nostalgic or melancholic memories of childhood, mysterious phrases, magical incantations and snippets of mantras populate Fortin's works. Phrases are repeated like the memory of a nursery rhyme of which only a few fragments remain. Inspired by the ideology of optimistic perspectives and the constant redefinition of life, the artist is strongly influenced by themes of childhood. With her unique and personal vision, Fortin's paintings reflect the inescapable nature of change. Birds and butterflies are frequent motifs in Fortin's work, serving as symbols of metamorphosis and the cyclical nature of life.

 

According to the artist, "they are the soul liberated from its physical incarnation". She has always focused on the reciprocity between humanity and nature. She paints messengers, guardian angels and totem animals, who undeniably carry a part of the sacred. If the theme of childhood is central, the artist does not aspire to find this lost paradise. Rather, she depicts abandonment and the loss of innocence and the characteristic naivety of the passage into adulthood. Through her unique artistic language, Dominique Fortin produces visually rich works that stimulate our unconscious through many degrees of meaning. Her works are produced through an amalgamation of diverse pictorial techniques, allowing the artist to create pieces that echo the optimistic and romantic ideals she aspires to convey. She works on the texture of her paintings with whatever she can get her hands on (paper, fabric, cardboard, etc.) and uses different media that bring flesh, depth and sensuality to her pictorial material.