Moving beyond its traditional role in art as a support, Besner enlists the paper into a more frontal position, as he treats and transforms it into artwork itself.
Paper Skin, Dominic Besner’s solo exhibition, presents sixteen new original works. At the heart of his new series is a focus on the pure materiality of paper. Throughout his oeuvre, Besner has been largely inspired by the conceptual energy and depth of both human and animal spirits. Besner has primarily explored these themes and figures within the bounds of his canvas’s pictorial plane, but this series presents a divergence.
His new works engage with collage techniques, bringing layers of paper together with canvas. As viewers, our eye is drawn and directed to the material of the paper, as it sits atop his canvases, making us keenly aware of the material quality of his work. Folded, layered, torn, and reassembled to create his signature figures, paper becomes a second skin.
Opening: Thursday, October 21, 2026, 5 pm
GLR 41 Montreal | 41 Saint-Paul Street West
