July 21 to August 3, Opera Gallery
Free-style pop artist Johanne Corno lets her emotions go when she paints human figures and faces. She takes inspiration from the raw energy and vitality of New York City, where she has lived since 1992.
'New York is a planet of fire and energy,' says the 54-year old artist. 'I want to kick the viewer into living in the now.'
In a solo exhibition, Corno captures New York's craziness and vibrancy on larger-than-life canvases in an attempt to get the viewer to devour life and celebrate it, too. 'I want them to access some of the emotions that are in my work and to be moved by them.
'I try to make my paintings easy to grasp. As we're surrounded by so much advertising and internet information, I want to give viewers something that they can assimilate without too much effort.'
Growing up in Chicoutimi, a small town north of Montreal, Corno started painting at the age of 20 after injury ended a promising dance career. Her work has adorned the walls of London's Royal Albert Hall and been projected onto the buildings of New York's Times Square.