After a year studying graphic design at the Catholic University of Chile, in Santiago, Rafael Sottolichio undertook a diploma in visual arts at the CÉGEP de Saint-Laurent in Montreal in 1991. He earned a BFA in 1996 and an MFA in 2009 at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Sottolichio has had work in numerous solo and group exhibitions. He has produced a number of murals, including including La maison que nous avons bâtie (The House That We Have Built) in 2007 for the Integration of a Public Work of Art Competition and the Pere-Marquette Centre in the borough of Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie, and the one for the Patro Le Prévost community and recreation centre, Ensemble, in 2009.
He is represented by the Lacerte Contemporary Art Gallery.
Artwork description
“La Traversée” (The Crossing), a mural produced by MU in partnership with The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated, was carried out by Rafael Sottolichio in the pedestrian crossing of the Île Sainte-Hélène pavilion under the Jacques-Cartier Bridge deck.
The mural is a journey back in time. Between the tunnel’s two ends, the silhouette of a bridge crosses with us from one side to the other. Important milestones in the bridge’s history are interspersed with vignettes that represent different aspects of the bridge. Workers and boaters from different eras show the passing generations and the iconic stature that the Jacques-Cartier bridge has come to hold for the City of Montreal.
The artist, Rafael Sottolichio, has created a mural is based on a sequence of collages. The calibration of the images and the foot traffic in the corridor allow for the evocation of something intangible: the passing of time.
The artist was assisted by Cyndie Belhumeur, Arnaud Grégoire, Julian Palma and Olivier Roy.