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
Downtown, a new mural pays tribute to one of Montreal’s great cultural builders: photographer Gabor Szilasi! It was created by muralist Rafael Sottolichio, on a wall belonging to Concordia University, where Mr. Szilasi taught for many years. Nearly 100,000 photos taken by Gabor over the course of his life bear witness to the evolution of society and architecture, mainly in Montreal and the regions of Quebec.
In collaboration with Gabor and his family, MU pays tribute to his contribution to Quebec photography by reproducing two of his iconic images. His self-portrait, above a photo of a winter scene, highlights his immense work as a portrait photographer. The large photograph, of people bundled up waiting for the bus, is a shot entitled “Snowstorm”, taken in 1971 during the Storm of the Century, in the same area as the mural. Gabor Szilasi visited the MU team on location during the production process.
Muralist assistants: Amina Mandour, Julian Palma and Nhu Y Ho