Olicorno, «Dans le corps», solo show
@ Centre National d'Exposition,
April 2018

Click here for a virtual 3D visit of the exhibition room. By Maplo photo

The Bones series

The anatomical series "Bones" is Olicorno's most recent work. By studying the symbolism of the body and the anatomical iconography, he uses human bones as basic bricks to tell the human psyche and the collective unconscious. At present, human bones are no longer just the subject of the work, but rather a part of the medium, a matter like clay for a sculptor. Olicorno uses this new approach to anatomy to tell fables and founding myths of our civilization. His stroke of a pencil, used as a nod to the first anatomists that were André Vésale and Leonardo da Vinci, serves here as a symbolic element that places the bodies in relations of superiority or inferiority, according to the interpretation of the observer.​

Center piece: Lost in a pond
2018, from the "Bones" series, acrylics and graphite on canvas. Size 7'x12' (triptych)
By presenting the entire skeleton meticulously divided in two, Olicorno tells the story of a being whose fragmented psyche would prevent him from coming to help himself. The artist insists that this painting does not tell the story of death, but is rather an allegory of a human psychological state. We find in this painting some recurring symbols of his anatomical series. For example, the use of pencil drawing in the skeleton serves to emphasize the fragility and decline of the body in relation to its environment. As for the cosmos in the boat, it places the body in relation to the infinite and serves rather as a destabilizing contemplative element. This canvas finalized in April 2018 is the latest production of the artist.​

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Beauty Is What You See

The performative paintings # 37, # 42 and # 66 were created during an intensive series of 10 blind performances in 10 days. By forcing himself to perform each day at the same time, and each time in a brand new setting, Olicorno aims to stimulate his creativity by playing with the self-imposition of constraints. This time, the context imposed a schedule and logistics adjusted quarter turn. From morning to evening, the artist's energy and attention are focused exclusively on the management of the set, the physical and psychological preparation, the performance itself, and finally the video editing of the recording. This complete immersion of 10 days allows him to go further in his research by remaining in an extended performative state, each canvas is a response to the one created the previous day.​

The performances [# 103], [# 106], [# 109] and [# 110] were created during a blind performance of a continuous duration of 8 days. The wearing of completely opaque contact lenses was necessary for this performance. Immersed in this performance and deprived of sight for more than 190 hours, Olicorno wanted to get closer to the rhythm of life of a visually handicapped person. In addition to producing twenty paintings on the stage of the Rack Gallery in Montreal, the artist wanted to experiment with several daily activities that may seem trivial but take another dimension in the context of sensory deprivation. For example, he walked the streets of Montreal for long times with the help of a guide, went out to the restaurant and the theater, and was able to chat with several people he met for the first time.​