“Bosquet au couchant”

A multifaceted artist, Ulysse Comtois left his mark on Canadian art through an aesthetic of modularity and transformation. While his early work was pictorial and influenced by Automatism, it was in sculpture that he reached full maturity. His style is characterized by the use of columns made of pivoting aluminum or wood plates, allowing the viewer to alter the structure. This approach turns the artwork into a dynamic object in constant flux, where light and relief are reinvented through manual interaction.

His artistic philosophy centered on participation and randomness. For Comtois, the artwork was not a fixed entity but an open dialogue between the artist, the object, and the public. He rejected static monumentality to explore notions of rhythm, sequence, and play. His philosophy rested on an insatiable technical curiosity and a desire to democratize art by inviting touch, thereby breaking the traditional distance between the viewer and the creation.