Paul Couillard
Encyclopedia
Paul Couillard is a Canadian
performance artist and new media artist, writer and curator.
Couillard was born August 1, 1961 in Chatham, New Brunswick
. In the 1980s, he worked as a civil servant in Ottawa
before seeing a performance of Gaia, Mon Amour by Los Angeles-based artist Rachel Rosenthal
, which inspired him to quit his government job and begin making art. He worked as an organizer and creator in the Canadian artist-run centre network, producing many text-based and theatrical performances before moving to Toronto
in 1989.
A performance tour in Japan in 1991 influenced him to abandon spoken narrative in favour of experiential and action-based works. In 1993 he and four other Toronto artists formed the Fado collective, which eventually became the artist-run centre Fado Performance Inc., incorporated in 2001. Couillard was the Performance Art Curator of Fado from its inception until 2007, producing a number of notable international performance art series based on various formal thematics, including "Time Time Time" (1999), "Public Spaces/Private Places" (2000–2003) and "IDea" (2005–2008). He is also a founding member of the 7a*11d collective, which presents a biannual international performance art festival.
In 1995, Couillard began creating durational performance works, often lasting 24 hours or longer. His works are usually site-responsive and relational
, exploring various questions related to time, space, body limitation and the relationship between performer and audience. In addition to his solo art practice, he frequently works in collaboration with other artists, most notably his partner Ed Johnson. Together they have created more than 100 works in their ongoing Duorama series, which began in 2000.
Couillard has also written various texts on performance art, and is the editor of Canadian Performance Art Legends, a series of book/DVD publications on senior Canadian performance artists.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
performance artist and new media artist, writer and curator.
Couillard was born August 1, 1961 in Chatham, New Brunswick
Chatham, New Brunswick
Chatham is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, Chatham was an incorporated town in Northumberland County along the south bank of the Miramichi River opposite Douglastown...
. In the 1980s, he worked as a civil servant in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
before seeing a performance of Gaia, Mon Amour by Los Angeles-based artist Rachel Rosenthal
Rachel Rosenthal
Rachel Rosenthal is an interdisciplinary artist, a teacher, and animal rights activist based in Los Angeles, California. She is also known for her smoothly shaven head. She is best known for her full-length performance art pieces which she has toured, with The Rachel Rosenthal Company, to numerous...
, which inspired him to quit his government job and begin making art. He worked as an organizer and creator in the Canadian artist-run centre network, producing many text-based and theatrical performances before moving to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1989.
A performance tour in Japan in 1991 influenced him to abandon spoken narrative in favour of experiential and action-based works. In 1993 he and four other Toronto artists formed the Fado collective, which eventually became the artist-run centre Fado Performance Inc., incorporated in 2001. Couillard was the Performance Art Curator of Fado from its inception until 2007, producing a number of notable international performance art series based on various formal thematics, including "Time Time Time" (1999), "Public Spaces/Private Places" (2000–2003) and "IDea" (2005–2008). He is also a founding member of the 7a*11d collective, which presents a biannual international performance art festival.
In 1995, Couillard began creating durational performance works, often lasting 24 hours or longer. His works are usually site-responsive and relational
Relational Art
Relational art or relational aesthetics is a mode or tendency in fine art practice originally observed and highlighted by French art critic Nicolas Bourriaud...
, exploring various questions related to time, space, body limitation and the relationship between performer and audience. In addition to his solo art practice, he frequently works in collaboration with other artists, most notably his partner Ed Johnson. Together they have created more than 100 works in their ongoing Duorama series, which began in 2000.
Couillard has also written various texts on performance art, and is the editor of Canadian Performance Art Legends, a series of book/DVD publications on senior Canadian performance artists.