Débordements I, Passages insolites II - ExMuro, Québec (Canada) 2015
Artist Statement
In my work, I attempt to stimulate the relationship between location, my pieces and the individual experiencing it. My artistic practice is mainly sculpture, installation and site-specific projects. It is propelled by the notion of appropriation of space and by the hijacking of meaning, through simple actions on materials from our daily surroundings.
The strategies I use when approaching the use of space play an important role in my creative process. My pieces are frequently spontaneous configurations, in the form of site-specific installations and ephemeral interventions with architectural aspects.
Spectators are invited to look, explore and experience the physical work of art which is life sized.
The goal of my constructions, accumulative, viral and invasive, is not the form but rather the action of giving form to a use or a situation. The dialogue established between the location and the piece of work directly influences the configuration of my constructions, which are sometimes created without sketches or plans, the choice of materials and their proportion.
Beyond their sometimes-rudimentary aspect, my works touch on the notion of the memories of a location, a building and the inhabitants. Some of my projects also integrate the public in in their production.
In my projects, my pieces are “staged” as to rethink the conventional exhibition standards for works of art, but also the idealized image of the artist. “Make do with” is a need of mine and one of the basis of my process.
Each is piece is anchored in a reflection on the phenomenon of coexistence with the elements, each element changing to form different environments and permanent evolution. Progressive constructions and “de-constructions” that explore the ways in which we occupy space.
In my projects, I tackle the question of the objects’ value as witnesses of history, and their paradoxical status, as they are both fundamental and incidental. Through multiple manipulations, I explore the mechanisms of the construction/deconstruction of their identity.
about the artist
Born in Argentina, José Luis Torres has lived and worked in Quebec since 2003. He holds a bachelor's degree in visual arts, a master's in sculpture, and training in architecture and in the integration of arts into architecture.
His works have been the subject of numerous individual and collective exhibitions in Quebec, Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Recently, his works have been seen in various festivals and major cultural events, including the Festival international de jardins of the Jardins de Métis, the Biennale nationale de sculpture contemporaine in Trois-Rivières, CAFKA – Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area, at the Symposium d’art contemporain in Baie-Saint-Paul, at the Art in the Open Festival in Charlottetown and at the Festival des Architectures Vives in Montpellier, France, as well as at international biennials in Europe and Asia.
In 2019, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec awarded him the CALQ Prize – Work of the Year in Chaudière-Appalaches, in 2021, he was awarded the title of Personnalité Arts et Culture by the organization Culture Capitale-Nationale et Chaudière-Appalaches, and, in 2023, is the winner of the Charles Biddle Prize presented by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) in partnership with Culture pour tous.