Pépin, Patrick

Technique : Acrylic

Patrick Pépin is a Canadian artist, born in 1976 in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. He has seen much international success in the art world with his abstract works that combine a unique blending of colours with his individual and inventive way of representing the ever-changing world.

The artist has been painting, drawing and sculpting since childhood, when he first became aware of the fragility of life. "When I was little my mother had cancer, a doctor came to me and said, ‘Your mother is very sick, she may die, so you'll have to be very strong, okay? Do you understand what that means?’ When I got home, I went to the garden, took a pebble and engraved a drawing on a rock. In my young mind, this was the only way to escape death, it was necessary to leave a mark somewhere."

This conscious sensitivity is felt everywhere in Pepin's work. Through his collections, we understand that he interprets a global vision of the world that goes far beyond what is perceptible to the naked eye.

A tireless traveler - he has visited more than thirty countries - he finds most of his inspiration during his many trips and adventures. Even though the journey is the starting point of his exploration, his creative process is never premeditated and is often brought to life in the unconscious.

Pepin's art expresses freedom and movement. In the margins of ordinary places, the artist finds his inspiration in everything and everywhere. Working with contrasts in a sort of controlled chaos, he manages to conceptualize his subject to give it its own consistency. The result is impressive, since most of his works are painted on extra large canvases that magnify his technique.

In recent years, the artist has begun to incorporate printed photographs of his own paintings. These are ripped, cut, pasted down, painted and reworked in India ink before being photographed again, cut and collaged into other works. Truly artworks within artworks, this approach inspired by street art echoes the social media frenzy and refers to “selfies” that have become a main communicative tool in today’s society.

The artist has many large-scale exciting projects in the works: from the end of November 2019 until June 2020, a gigantic mural by the artist inspired by the Playing Cards series is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Baie-Saint-Paul (MACBSP).

He is also working with a company on another large project planned for 2021. A huge, 3 by 2 meter mural will be made of all kinds of recycled objects. Details about the project will be announced soon.

Patrick Pépin is represented in Canada and the United States by the Beauchamp Galleries, a family business firmly rooted in the world of Canadian art. He is also represented in British Columbia by The Whistler Village Art Gallery and will soon be represented in Europe. You can see one of his colossal works permanently on display at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. Patrick Pépin’s work is also part of thirty private collections in America, Europe and Asia. One of his works is now part of the private collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Baie-Saint-Paul.

Publication

• Sofadéco Magazine, vol. 9, no 7, November 2014
• Droit de Parole, "Vivre de sa peinture", published on the 11th of March 2014
• 2012-13 Magazin'Art, Repertoire Biennal des artistes Canadiens en galeries
• Magazine Sofadeco, Hors serie, volume 4 no 1, p. 75
• Magazine Sofadeco, volume 7, no 4, p.30
• Parcours, edition September-October 2010, p.132-133

Collections

• Baie -Saint-Paul Contemporary Art Museum, Baie-St-Paul, QC
• Baldwin and Sons, California, U.S.A.
• Brian Lee, New-York, New-York, U.S.A.
• CIBC, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Divin Paradis, Boucherville, Québec, Canada
• Endodontie Lotus, Montréal, Québec, Canada
• Ernst & Young, Québec, Québec, Canada
• John Molson School of Business of Concordia, Montréal, Québec, Canada
• Lemay Michaud Architecture Design, Québec, Québec, Canada
• Metro Toronto Convention Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Norton Rose, Québec, Québec, Canada
• Varma V Escudero Dezsery, Tiacopac, Mexique
• and many other collections in Canada, the United States and Europe