Patrick Coutu holds a bachelor’s degree in visual arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal (1997), and a master’s degree from the Glasgow School of Art (2003) and Concordia University (2005). Since 1997, his works have been featured in a number of exhibitions in Canada, including at Galerie René Blouin, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MACM), and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBA), and abroad. His artworks are in public collections (MACM, MNBA, NGC, Ville de Montréal) and private collections.
Artwork description
Situated in front of the main entrance to the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Sports Centre in Benny Park, Source is an organically shaped painted-bronze sculpture formed of multiple levels or branches of textured materials held up on three “legs” that form a triangle on the ground. The visually and symbolically rich sculpture takes its inspiration from processes and transformations engendered by natural phenomena. With its different circular levels, the sculpture evokes a waterfall, rivers pouring blue-tinted water onto the ground, a dowser’s wand, and – through its texture, obtained by an accumulation of materials – stalactites testifying to the passage of time. With its fluidity and its theme, Coutu’s sculpture also refers to the current vocation of the site, which contains a public swimming pool and marks a central point in the landscape. Source is Coutu’s first work of public art commissioned by the Ville de Montréal.