Previous exhibitions
Gohu (Hugo Aubin)
Ois'o & The Chimera of La Fontaine
October 14, 2019 to January 10, 2020
The exhibition includes two series that share a common subject – animals. The first, Ois’o, is a series that is an ode to nature and to different species of birds. The textures and colours come from the enlargement of acetates Gohu has worked on in ink in his studio. They are recognizable by their vivid colours and by his very gestural approach. The birds were created on the computer and designed on a touchscreen using a professional pen. The second series, Les Chimères de La Fontaine, presents portraits of illusory beings in the shape of animals, which, according to Gohu, might have haunted the author in his literary fabulations. Who were the humans behind those fables? Could the author have drawn inspiration from characters he had rubbed shoulders with? The series depicts anthropomorphic animals (half human/half animal) taken from the fables of Jean de La Fontaine, born July 8, 1621 at Château- Thierry, died April 13, 1695 in Paris, a renowned French poet, known mostly for his fables, somewhat less so for his stories. It is the work of this fabulist that most interests Gohu, whose works include digital prints on brushed aluminum surfaces, impressions on machine-stitched Arche paper, and image transfers on rag dolls. All his works use impression as a form of expression.

Originally from the Saguenay, Hugo Aubin, aka Gohu, has a background in graphic arts. He has evolved in that domain for more than 25 years, working as a graphic designer and artistic director. In 2014, he decided to devote his talents to graphic design and print media. While self-taught at the start, over several years of skills development in various workshops he learned different print techniques, such as monotype, carborundum engraving and etching. A prizewinner several times over at the Expo-concours de La Prairie, he shows his artistic work alone or in a group in Québec and elsewhere in Canada. His works can be found in the collections of cities such as La Prairie, Sainte-Catherine, LaSalle (Montréal), as well as in private collections.

His artistic approach falls between two universes: the abstract and the figurative. His inspiration comes from the fragile equilibrium of the textures he designs in his studio using different media, supports and techniques. He plays with fortuity and spontaneity, welcoming the energy of the moment. And, by scrutinizing each of those textures with a magnifying glass, he explores fabulous worlds, where he finds the beauty offered by the infinitely small. He selects a fragment that he then digitizes and enlarges on the computer. It is this small abstract detail, almost cellular, that carries the richness of the colours in his work. His composition then takes on a digital dimension, using photographic images or designs he creates. He invents new iconographies of hybrid expression that offer infinite variations, affording him the opportunity to remodel matrices, change the perceptions of images, and reconstitute environments open to the imagination, where heat and cold comingle.

Visite his web site at gohu.ca

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