Pierre-Francois Ouellette

Tabula rasa is a collection of 28 unique works created from an assemblage of lithographic fragments. Folded, patterned paper served as the printing matrix. Rhythmic and dynamic, the collages give further expression to Fortin’s persistent fascination with repetition while marking a departure from the linearity of his earlier works. In Tabula rasa, the artist injects new life into his plastic language by highlighting diagonal trajectories and placing an emphasis on engraving rather than daily objects. Here, it is his works that he transforms, recycles, and reinvents.

The formal elements of Tabula rasa explore the play between disruption and continuity. Each of the works deftly marries the sharp contrasts between the lithographic fragments with subtle transitions. Varying shades of grey illuminate some sections while obscuring or even erasing others. The juxtaposition of lithographic fragments creates lines and forms, each providing a unique spark that invigorates the composition. Patterns collide and blend over this vertical wavescape, inviting the eye to wander from one zone to another.

Thus, Tabula rasa forges new paths while retaining the fundamental elements of Jérôme Fortin’s artistic vision: repetition, paper work, recycling and variations on a theme.