Benoit David

Benoit David was born in Montreal. Even though he showed early predispositions for drawing and painting, it is only after a few years studying sciences that he began his artistic education. At the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), he developed an interest in the creative process and was inspired by the elusive nature of reality. After exploring drawing, painting and sculpture, he recently has been working with digital images, a medium that suits his needs: fast image manipulation, every stage of the work can be saved, there is no cost, and it takes no space.

Benoit David is fascinated by the human body. If for the sake of convenience, he uses his own body, he refuses to consider his work as self-portraits, because he is convinced that any work of art is, in essence, a self-portrait. A man of excesses, it is with no surprise that we see him create images in high contrast. Opposing concepts come together, violence and softness, dark subjects and aggressive lighting, complicated figures and simplistic compositions, etc.

His work changes rapidly as a result of his searching, a constant attempt to push away limits, to question rules and his own choices. There always remains the close relationship between mind and body. Benoit David's work echoes the anxiety of the contemporary world. It evokes the frailty of the human body in an environment where stability is being threatened. The bodies he creates find energy in their torment, which suggests the idea that it is through our bare emotions that we find the strength to fight. (Ratsdeville)