Memento Mori (2019-2020)

Cosmic phenomena are not meant to be studied exclusively through the scientific lens. The Universe is also a poet, a mystic, and It knows how to communicate with us in a symbolic way. This new series of acrylic paintings focus on the study of nebulae. They are stars that imploded at the end of their life, leaving behind them clouds of gas and radiation that veil the sky. Slow dances that evolve on periods of time beyond comparison on the human scale.
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"Memento Mori" is a Latin phrase that means "Remember that you are going to die". At the time of Medieval Christianity, this phrase was repeated to express the vanity of earthly life and referred to the art of dying with dignity. In Antiquity, it was used to remind their mortality to the victors and conquerors of Roman triumphs.
Reading these words and understanding their meaning, I wanted to create a body of work to celebrate human mortality using what I considered the most glorious symbol of death: the cosmic nebulae. They are the remaining of exploded stars, celestial objects composed of rarefied and ionized gases or interstellar dust.
I painted them based on images taken by the Hubble satellite, which I interpreted with reference to the iconography of our Western funerals. I wanted to evoke the silence, the smoke of the incense, the tones of woodwork alongside floral arrangements. Veils, dance, lacework, rituals, and above all, poetry.

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Selected Work

Title: Composition #5 - Heart Nebula
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 84''x60''
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Created in Montréal, 2020
Current Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

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Title: Composition #2 (Carina)
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 48''x96''

Created in Montréal, 2019
Current Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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Title: Eagle Nebula #1
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 36''x24''

Created in Montréal, 2020
Current Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

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Title: Trifid Nebula
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 48''x48''

Created in Montréal, 2019
Current Location: Gatineau, Québec, Canada

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Title: Fragment #4 (Orion)
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 60''x36''

Created in Montréal, 2020
Current Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

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Title: Carina Nebula
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 48''x96''

Created in Montréal, 2019
Current Location: Québec City, Québec, Canada

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Title: Lagoon Nebula
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 48''x72''

Created in Montréal, 2020
Current Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

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Title: Fighting Dragons Nebula
Series: Memento Mori
Medium: Acrylics and ink on canvas
Size: 40''x72''

Created in Montréal, 2019
Current Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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