Prévost, Joël

Technique : Clay, bronze

A native of Lac-St-Jean, Joël Prévost left Quebec in 1977 to undertake a pilgrimage that would last nine years during which he took extensive training that enabled him to teach Latin dance and create contemporary dances. At the same time, he furthered his training in community development, pursuing studies and research on human relationships and personal growth. At the end of his travels in 1986, he moved to Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, where he remained for two decades before settling in Montreal in 2006.

Joël began sculpting clay in 1994. His understanding of human anatomy, acquired through his dance training, infuses his works with fluidity that accentuates the beauty of human movement. His works quickly attained national recognition and can now be seen across Canada, the US, France, New Zealand, Australia and China. For Joël, the human body is an instrument that projects images and feelings through a series of connected movements. His work attempts to capture those images and feelings in clay by seizing the moment.

Prévost's interest in enamels led him to ceramics, a medium that allows him to use his instincts as an alchemist to develop new combinations of minerals and metal oxides to explore more contemporary avenues. Although Joël applies his inner feeling to clay – the raw material – and creates forms that are similar to the Japanese tradition, he transcends the genre with his innovative treatment of enamels. He has therefore been able to evolve as an artist, sculptor and ceramist.

Prévost founded The Village sculpture studio in 2009, a true school of sculpture consisting of different spaces devoted to clay, firing, the development of new glazes, and the study of anatomy models. It is there where students and apprentices can deepen their knowledge and creativity under Joël’s leadership.