Olivier Forgues

At the core of Olivier Forgues' practice is a private celebration of queer life and faces. Eschewing classical, polished, heroic figures, these portraits are intimate; shoulders slump naturally, hands are placed without the sitter considering "where should I put them". Their gaze averts or confronts us with a quiet defiance. The tension is subtle, but present, and refracted through the vulnerability and tenderness that Forgues is continually searching for. -Brendan de Montigny, de Montigny Contemporary, Ottawa