Sébastien Gaudette

Montreal, Canada

Biography

Sébastien Gaudette is an artist who lives and works in Montreal. After his university studies in visual and media arts, Gaudette began his research about paper. His practice explores the multiple facets of paper folding and crumpling, of which he creates trompe-l’oeil drawings and sculptures.

Gaudette’s work has been exhibited in a variety of venues, including the Sherbrooke and Mont-Saint-Hilaire Museums of Fine Arts, the Musée du Bas-Saint-Laurent, the Centre national d’exposition de Jonquière, the Cirque du Soleil, and several Maisons de la culture in Montreal. He has also participated in charity events, including the auction of the Musée d’art contemporain des Laurentides and the upcoming auction of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He has been invited to exhibit at the Art Helix Gallery in Brooklyn on the international scene and has presented his work at several international art fairs. The artist has also completed several research residencies that have allowed him to explore his creative process in multiple contexts.

About the artwork

Sortir du Cadre

In keeping with Sébastien Gaudette’s artistic practice, Sortir du Cadre attempts to redefine the terms and limits of paper as a material. Through the study of gesture, folding or crumpling, the artist noticed a recurring topography: a trace and a territory printed on a surface. This mark, notes the artist, is the seed of language and symbolic representation.

The artwork consists of an installation of gigantic papers placed on the walls and the floor. A few sentences are written on the sheets (in French): “Never wait for inspiration, because it always shows up at the right moment,” “Walking without knowing where I’m going makes me move forward,” and “It’s in hesitation that we miss the best opportunities.” These transcribed phrases carry messages of personal advancement with a positive spin. As the artist addresses these quotes to young people, the installation bridges the gap between students and contemporary art.

Sortir du Cadre is a testament to the artist’s hard and repetitive work to achieve his goal and objectives.