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
In 2014, MU and the St-Laurent borough collaborated for the first time with the creation of a mural on Beaudet Street, bordering the park of the same name. In an effort to pursue the integration of mural arts and the revitalization of the neighborhood, as well as to contribute to the vision of Quartiers culturels et des Promenades urbaines, a second mural has been initiated in the area.
The wall is located at the heart of the future cultural quarter near the Musée des Maîtres et artisans du Québec, the Emile-Legault performance hall and the student residence. It is also located on the way between Du Collège metro station and Cégep de Saint-Laurent, an institution recognized for its artistic programs. In keeping with the first mural created by OMEN in 2014, the artwork is representing a female character, part of Rafael Sottolichio’s series entitled Engloutis. Fittingly, the artist is himself a fine arts graduate of Cégep de Saint-Laurent (1991-1993).