The son of working-class parents, Bernard Gamoy grew up in a pigeonnier, a sixth-floor garret in Paris. After a few adventures in the world, he settled in Montreal and became a painter. Oh yes: he graduated from Concordia with a B.F.A. in 1979 and an M.F.A. in 1982. Since then, he has shown his work in various places like Paris, Mexico, Boston, Toronto and Montreal. His recent work explores self-portraiture and creates images of the artist as anti-hero, examining at the role of the artist in society.
Technically for me painting is about exploring and experimenting, about accidents and discovery. It is also the trace of a human touch: I am making layer upon layer, forming the skin of a surface. I am exploring space and creating an intimate distance in low key colours.
"Does the messiness of painting evoke the messiness of our embodied experience?"
Conceptually, I am viewing the world over my shoulder, speculating rather than looking at it directly. Instead of reflecting what I see, I am absorbing it and transforming it into something that is perhaps incomprehensible, clumsy and crude.
Education
BFA Concordia University, 1979
MFA Concordia University, 1982
Areas of expertise
Painting and drawing
