Mathieu Laca

Photo by Jeff Malo

Artist's Statement

“Every portrait is a self-portrait in disguise.” –Mathieu Laca

When I was born, I was thirty years old.

I learned youth late and by correspondence.

My excuse: I grew up stuck between a mother whose softness would make daisies pale by comparison and a father whose temper was as stable as the one of an arena bull.

The result: I killed in myself the idea of the world. I shot myself away in my room to read French literature classics with, on my lips, the smile of a bomb layer.

I had the morality of Camus’ Outsider and the hope in life of a Nirvana song. I laid down in the field waiting to be decomposed.

Failed: I was still alive.

One day, two teachers noticed me and introduced me to art.

It was a revelation. 

To draw. 

To paint. At last I could be. Pure fantasy. Incidentally, it appeared that I was gay. 

Since then, I practice regularly. I even corrupted into marriage one of those teachers whose rebellion I was fond of. 

How mean I am!

Against all expectations, my paintings started to sell. 

Ha! 

People snap up my textured faces. Ha! Ha! 

Every day in the studio, along a big dog sleeping and a husband who makes his mandolin sing, I make my deliciously appalling images and I plan to continue for a very long time. 

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Mathieu Laca

Mathieu Laca in his Studio


Solo Exhibitions

2018 Face to Face, Thompson Landry Gallery, Toronto
2018 Dear Painters, Salon B, Montreal
2017 The Animal that I Am, Le Livart, Montreal
2017 White, Usine C, Montreal2016Faces, AlphaArt Gallery,Ottawa
2016 Mirror Mirror, Centre Dentaire Griffin, Montreal
2016 Recent Portraits, Espace Individuus, Montreal
2015 Recent Works, Salle Multi, Coop Méduse, Quebec City
2013 Self-Portrait as a Woman,ModulumGallery, Montreal
2012 Dead or Alive[portraits and othercaptures],ModulumGallery, Montreal
2011 Porn is not Art, Patrick John Mills Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery, Ottawa2
2010 A Midsummer Night’s Dream,L’espace contemporainGallery, QuebecCity
2004 Orietur,ConcordiaUniversity,Montreal
2004 Reflexion,ConcordiaUniversity,Montreal
2003 Portraits, La Fiesta de Agosto, Centre de la nature de Laval
2000 Recent Works,Lionel-GroulxCollege, Sainte-Thérèse
1999 Transmutation, Maison des arts de Laval,Laval


Selected Group Exhibitions

2019 Face to Face, Beaux-Arts des Amériques Gallery, Montreal
2019 The Misfits, Orange Art Gallery, Ottawa
2018 Liebe, Herr Beinlich Contemporary Fine Art Space, Bielefeld, Germany
2018 XL4, Montréal Arts Interculturels, Montreal
2017 L’intemporalité du corps, Le Livart, Montreal
2016 Holiday Art Show, Alpha Art Gallery, Ottawa
2016 Small Sizes, Blanche Gallery, Montreal
2016 Small Sizes, Local 250, Montreal
2016 Totem, AbyssGallery, Montreal
2016 Hybrid, AbyssGallery, Montreal
2015 Polyphony, Palais Montcalm, QuebecCity
2014 Christmas Art Extravaganza, Patrick Gordon Framing Studio, Ottawa
2014 C'est gros en petits, Zéphyr Gallery, Montreal
2014 Fugues Remembers, Écomusée du fier monde, Montreal
2012 Rayé, Galerie Modulum, Montreal
2012 Naked Naked Naked, Patrick John Mills Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery, Ottawa
2012 Quit your Job, Patrick John Mills Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery, Ottawa
2012 Artsida 4, Contemporary Art Museum of Montreal, Montreal
2012 I Have Issues, Patrick John Mills Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery, Ottawa
2012 I love you, Patrick John Mills Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery, Ottawa

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