Nika Fontaine

Heimat

• Works
• Exhibition views

Nika Fontaine’s work deals boldly with the viewer’s visual perceptions as well as their cultural ones, enacting an exploration of spirituality that elevates the use of glitter to a metaphysical level.   Combining a direct embrace of camp tropes and would-be kitsch materials with an intense regard on the sublime and the beautiful, she makes art that eliminates the distinction between the authentic and the artificial, in order to both celebrate and interrogate our multifaceted lives as embodied and psychological beings.  

Nika Fontaine’s work deals boldly with the viewer’s visual perceptions as well as their cultural ones, enacting an exploration of spirituality that elevates the use of glitter to a metaphysical level.  

Combining a direct embrace of camp tropes and would-be kitsch materials with an intense regard on the sublime and the beautiful, she makes art that eliminates the distinction between the authentic and the artificial, in order to both celebrate and interrogate our multifaceted lives as embodied and psychological beings.

 

François Dell'Aniello's text

There is no such thing as a chance encounter, or a coincidence… only a road marked with these rare occasions which make an impression on us.  It all started with a random smoke detector inspection on my street, conducted by a group of firefighters.  A few days later, one of them who noticed our art collection in my home, came back to speak to me about his colleague’s sister, an artist who moved to Berlin but was in Montreal at the time. I was instantly head over heels upon meeting her and seeing her work. Playfully reflecting the light, her artworks compel us towards self-reflection and self-examination. And the journey continues, more enriched from this encounter.

 

Joyce Yahouda's text

When I discovered the work of Nika Fontaine, thanks to François Dell'Aniello, art enthusiast and connaisseur, I was intrigued by this work which references the traditional criteria of art history, while introducing an element of kitsch and seems to situate itself somewhere between irony and the sublime.

Without any doubt, this work provokes me and forces me to reflect on its ambiguity.

I was confronted by kitsch, sparkling works, who question the idea of good versus bad taste.

I was confronted by works making references to abstract expressionism, such as those by Rothko or Barnett Newman.

I was confronted by works whose playful characters reminded me of some graffiti works.

And definitely I found the works emanate a certain elegance.

Sharing François Dell'Aniello’s interest about the works, I suggested that we co-curate an exhibition of Nika Fontaine’s work.

For the exhibition Heimat we are presenting a selection of Nika Fontaine’s works which will guide you through her universe.

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