Melanie Authier's paintings bring together visual contradictions into one imaginary space. By drawing upon the histories of abstraction and the strategies of representation, she presents improbable environments. A sense of disorientation comes about through the way in which colour, texture, line and shape compete for room within the canvas. Each work presents a brimming jostle of oppositions that the viewer is invited to bring into a certain order.
Melanie Authier was born in 1980 in Montreal. She received a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal in 2002 and completed her MFA at the University of Guelph in 2006. Authier has exhibited across Canada. Solo Exhibitions include Nobody's Geometry at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FOFA) Gallery at Concordia University in Montreal (2010) and Warrior Ridge at the Michael Gibson Gallery in London, ON (2010). Her most recent solo exhibition The Ribbon and the Lightning Rod at Georgia Scherman Projects (2010/2011) was reviewed by R.M. Vaughan in The Globe and Mail. Other catalogues and reviews include essays by Robert Enright and James D. Campbell. Recent group shows include Four Ottawa Painters at The Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) in Ottawa (2010/2011) and The Phoenix Art curated by Robert Enright at Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal (2009). Authier is included in the following publications: The Magenta Foundation Carte Blanche v.2 Painting, The Donovan Collection, aceartinc's Paperwait and the Royal Bank of Canada Canadian Painting Competition - Ten Years. Among numerous scholarships and awards, she is the recipient of the Honourable Mention Prize for the 9th Annual RBC Painting Competition 2007. Authier's artwork is in numerous national and international collections including the National Gallery of Canada.
Melanie Authier is represented by Georgia Scherman Projects. She currently lives and maintains a studio in Ottawa.
