Martine Fourcand

Martine Fourcand, Canadian-Swiss and Haitian, is a multidisciplinary artist who lives in Montreal. Painter, poet, and theatrical designer, Fourcand grew up in Haiti before leaving the island of her birth for Canada in 1979. First, at the University of Ottawa, and later at the University of Québec in Montreal, she studied sociology, communication, the semiology of cultural productions, and became interested in German theatrical traditions. From early on, she was engaged in the feminist movement and in the defense of human rights. Over the years, she has worked with international institutions on social and development projects. Visit Martine at martinefourcand.com

FEATURED ARTIST

   In 1982, Fourcand’s paintings were shown for the first time in Montreal (La Cuisse de Velours; and later at Galerie Maximum, Centre Culturel Hector Hyppolite and others). She has had exhibits in Haiti (Galerie Jean-René Jérôme, Musée Saint Pierre, Ateliers Zaka), China, and Spain (Casa de America de Madrid). 

      Recently, she presented two solo exhibitions in Montreal at Atelier Ilinca Ghibu (2015) and Galerie Erga (2016). She also participated in two group exhibitions at Georges Laoun’s, as part of the Black History Month in February 2016 and 2017. In April of 2017 her work was featured in another group show, Women Between Earth and Sky, at Galerie Le 1040 ad later in May 2017 she had a solo exhibit, Springtime Forever, at Georges Laoun. The more than forty paintings offered a context for exploring the metaphor of Springtime as Promise of infinite renewal.

      In June 2017, The Spirit of Jazz In Living Color opened at the Church of St. John The Evangelist (The Red Roof Church). This exhibit, that coincided with the Montreal Jazz Festival, “made you hear colors.”

      A number of the recently-exhibited paintings have been inspired by other art forms and featured in other contexts. In November 2016, Martine Fourcand created a painting to illustrate the cover of Kerline Devise’s poetry book Nudité et Fragments, published by Les Ecrits des Forges. It was followed by a series of paintings inspired by the collection entitled Secrets of lavae. The Spring 2017 issue of The Adirondack Review featured the painting “A Certain Smile” on its cover and several others appeared in its pages. In 2019, her painting “Le Magnifique” illustrated the cover of the republished novel Le Livre d’Emma written by Marie-Célie Agnant.

Martine Fourcand, Montreal, Quebec 2020