Feu de garde II

Born in Montréal in 1974, Dominique Fortin holds training in both visual arts and jewelry-making. She exhibits her work internationally in solo and group shows, as well as at major art fairs. Her works are part of numerous private collections across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Dominique Fortin’s practice is defined as an unyielding exploration of human nature. Initially inspired by the modernist tradition, her work has evolved into a unique style—dreamlike, infused with fantasy and romanticism, childlike innocence, and raw emotion. Nostalgic or melancholic childhood memories, mysterious phrases, magical incantations, and fragments of mantras populate her paintings. They sometimes repeat or double themselves, like the remnants of a half-forgotten nursery rhyme. Guided by ideals of optimism and the continual redefinition of life, Fortin draws heavily on the theme of childhood. With this deeply personal vision, her paintings reflect the inevitable nature of change. Birds and butterflies, frequently represented in her work, serve as symbols of transformation and the cyclical essence of life; in her words, “they are the soul freed from its physical incarnation.”

Fortin has always been concerned with the reciprocity between humans and nature. This is strongly expressed in her works, where animals and humans are united. Messengers, guardian angels, totem animals—they unquestionably carry a sacred dimension. While childhood remains a central theme, the artist does not aspire to regain a lost paradise. Rather, she depicts the surrender, the loss of innocence and naivety characteristic of the passage into adulthood.

Through her singular artistic language, Fortin creates visually rich works that stir the unconscious through multiple layers of meaning. Her paintings are produced through a fusion of diverse pictorial techniques, enabling her to create pieces that echo the optimistic and romantic ideals she seeks to convey. She works the surface of her canvases with whatever materials are at hand—paper, fabric, cardboard, and more—using different media that bring substance, depth, and sensuality to her pictorial matter.