FAUVE
Fauve (he/they) is a queer, trans and neurodivergent multidisciplinary artist based in Tio’tia:ke (Montreal) working in visual art, fashion, tattoo and circus. They have been interested in art from a very young age and started their brand “Chair de fou” in the summer of 2023. He mainly works with upcycled materials to give them a new life, which he lovingly qualifies as “trash art”. Through his art, they touch on the themes of identity, illness, gender, revolution and absurdism.
My most genuine creations remain the ones I never planned on doing. Sometimes, I have no idea how to replicate my vision and try out the most random, unapproved techniques. For my “paintings”, I will use paint, but also sharpies, knives, cardboard, old keys, rusty chains… I need texture! I often don’t wash my brushes and let the colors blend together. I work with the mistakes and not around them.
I believe synesthesia is one of my best tools when it comes to visual art; I see my feelings and sounds around me a lot. Especially when looking at my drawings and words in my sketchbook, I know how deep in my guts I retrieved those visuals. However, our mind does not always make sense, and that is something I wish to highlight when sharing my pieces: it might seem meaningless in the eye of another while also being the most important thing I have ever expressed.
The jester, a character that I use often, represents this absurd situation so well. At first ridiculous for the audience, but this mischievous clown shares an important truth about the king under their silly-looking manners. I also like to see it as a mocking figure, degrading our society and the problems we created ourselves in it.
I tend to explore what we qualify as ugly, weird or poorly executed. For clothes, I prefer the handmade look over a neat finish; patched up and roughly painted on. When drawing, my subjects often seem deformed or ill, which I want the spectator to face and react to. On better days, they might look different but project a sweet aura about it.