About

Artist Statement

Ever since I was a toddler, art has kept me going. As a means of escape and to cope, the infinite worlds conveyed by imagination became a boon to my survival early on in life. Avidly reading and actively seeing the creative potential of everything and everyone around (and within) me paved the way to a fragile yet resilient hope in humanity. One that continues to shape my evolving artistic direction.

As I moved around Europe, North and Central America during my childhood and adolescence, I underwent a relentless anthropological exploration. A study that underlined our internalized contradictions, disparities between the concepts of fitting in and belonging, our common need to (re)connect, as well as our poorly understood individual and societal multiplicity.

My multidisciplinary practice pushes the boundaries of our sensibility to self-plurality, mental health and the human experience in a culturally complex landscape. My work often alludes to a long-lost innocence and sheds light on psychological and philosophical dilemmas that envelop us. It encourages people to question what defines them, to open their minds to differing plights and perspectives that surround them, and to become more pro-active about breaking down barriers that stifle psychogenic progress.

I use mixed media, abstraction, symbolism, metaphors, repetition, space and words to explore and express concepts and interrogations related to the struggles many of us undergo these days, regardless of where our roots lie. As I foster my artistry and literacy, I wonder how to break away from the walls we’ve built around ourselves in a desperate attempt to feel safer and to make sense of our world; walls that ironically keep us apart and at chronic risk of collapse.

Beyond abolishing shuttered structures, I seek to empower people of all ages and backgrounds to dig into their inner realities and perceptions to build bridges and stronger communities.

What we do!

Services

Paint your walls!

Inside or outside, small or large. If you have walls you want painted, with a little more pazzaz and meaning than a solid colour can grant you, let’s talk. I’ll listen, then make you a couple colourful proposals. Thereafter, I got you covered. You’ll have a quality piece to lighten up your day or business, and all at a competitive and affordable price. Guaranteed.

Paint your fence!

Tired of seeing the same old wooden fence? Have you thought of livening it up with some amazing art? You ought to! It transforms a yard completely. When you do, let’s chat. I’ll listen to your needs and suggest a couple of designs. Thereafter, your outdoor living space will be transformed. And you’ll wonder why you hadn’t thought of doing this before.

Paint a canvas!

What I do is listen. Thanks to empathy and my cultural baggage, I’ve learned to tune in to people’s story. Tell me yours and where you’d like the commissioned art piece to hang, then prepare to be happily surprised. You can expect quality, attention to detail, and transparency. I may not know how the final product will look at first, but I will keep you posted every step of the way. And you can be sure it will be done with meticulous love and care.

Collaborate

If you’re a fellow artist and have a project or idea you’d like us to work on together, get in touch. I’d love to consider your proposal.

Curriculum Vitae

Education
2006	BAC in Literature, Lycée Français St-Louis, Stockholm, Sweden
2003	Grade 9 & 10, Western High School, Fort-Lauderdale, FL, USA
Public Art
2021	Coeurs aimants, 26 cement garden beds | art/literary installation, in collaboration with the Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, the municipal library and the poet Nelly Onestas – Daou, Montreal, QC One-Way, 82 x 3 meters path, Saint-Zotique, QC Fruit of Empathy, 5 x 1.5 meters vinyl banner, in collaboration with Institut pacifique, Paroles d’excluEs and the Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, Montreal, QC Ruby Slippers, 2 x 22 meters mural, in collaboration with Coop de Solidarité Éconord, Soverdi and the Montreal-North borough, Montreal, QC
Group Exhibitions
2021	Dialogues citoyens : diversité et inclusion au coeur des paroles, Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, Montreal, QC
2020	Festival des arts, 13th Edition, Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, Montreal, QC 6th Edition, Le Showfrette: Weekend en lumière, Beloeil, QC
2019	12th Edition, Les fenêtres qui parlent, Montreal, QC What the Pop!, YES | Marché Bonsecours, Montreal, QC Festival des arts, 12th Edition, Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, Montreal, QC Expo Pop-Up: March, Art Cible | Atelier Galerie 2112, Montreal, QC Expo Pop-Up: February, Art Cible | Atelier Galerie 2112, Montreal, QC
Art Fairs, Markets & Symposiums
2022	(upcoming) 2nd Edition, On aura tout vu, Prévost, QC – date TBD (upcoming) 25th Edition, Symposium Artiste sur le Champ, Chambly, QC – date TBD (upcoming) Salon du disque et des arts underground, 11th Edition, Under the Snow Festival, Montreal, QC – date TBD
2021	Parcours des arts de l’Assomption, Assomption, QC
2019	22nd Edition, Symposium de peinture de Prévost, Prévost, QC Salon du disque et des arts underground, 10th Edition, Under the Snow Festival, Montreal, QC
Cultural Mediations
2020 – 21	Art Workshops, Clef d’arc, Montreal, QC
2021	Dialogical co-creation of One Way with the citizens of the Saint-Zotique municipality that involved encouraging them to make their own mark, at first with their feet, then with their bottomless enthusiasm Dialogical co-creation of Fruit of Empathy with citizens from the Montreal-North borough who participated to a mediative process to resolve community-based issues, a program supported by Institut pacifique and Paroles d’excluEs, and a cultural mediation initiated by the Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord
Media, Press & Publications
2019	15th Anniversary Collector’s Booklet, ELAN Quebec, p.30, Aug. 26th « La peinture pour se sentir bien », by Emma Guerrero Dufour, Journal des citoyens, p.3, Aug.
Continuing Education
Ongoing	Goodreads.com/GigiRetzo
2021	Divergent Thinking Made Visible, workshop by the scholar Trish Osler, 4th Space | Concordia University, Montreal, QC Building Successful Interactions : Why Inclusion and Diversity Skills are Critical to Growth, webinar with Frederick A. Miller and Judith H. Katz, Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies | Concordia University, Montreal, QC First Responder and Basic Life Support, Canadian Red Cross, Sainte-Julie, QC
2020	Négocier son contrat: un art qui s’apprend et qui rapporte, RAAV, Montreal, QC
2019	Archives et inventaire de l’artiste, RAAV, Montreal, QC Mental Health First Aid Training, Mental Health Commission of Canada, Montreal, QC Building a Project around Oral History, COHDS | Concordia University, Montreal, QC Emotional Resilience While Performing Traumatic Narratives: Part II, COHDS | Concordia University, Montreal, QC
2017	Miser sur son intelligence émotionnelle, Groupe MP-Plus, Montreal, QC
2013	The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness, Coursera | University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Activities Inspiring My Practice
2019 –present	Attendant & Animator, Clef d’arc, Montreal, QC
2020	Volunteer, Face-à-Face, Montreal, QC
2018-20	Secretary/Vice-President, School Committee, École primaire Sainte-Gertrude, Montreal, QC
2016-18	Paralegal, Manon Dion Avocate, Montreal, QC
2006-07	English Teacher & Teacher’s Assistant, Torre Alta Montessori School, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Arts & Culture Volunteering Experience
2019	Harmonies, Museum Ball, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, QC Mtl en Arts Festival, Montreal, QC Halte-Femmes Montréal-Nord, Montreal, QC MURAL Festival, Montreal, QC Comité de mobilisation citoyenne, Fête des voisins | Un Itinéraire pour tous, Montreal, QC Papier 19 | Art Fair, Montreal, QC
2016	Papier 16 | Art Fair, Montreal, QC
Collections
Private collections in Ontario and Quebec

Upcoming Events…

 

Press

Testimonials

– bilingual –

“Extremely insightful and in depth advice! I make earrings and Gigi gave me some very important points about participating in a market that made me look at the whole event in a different way. She really opened my eyes on how to approach participating in a market, and with concrete and practical tips. I have been to coaches before but never received such in depth insight! Thanks Gigi! <3"

– Sarine Chahinian | Facebook.com/SoftenthePop | 2019-08-29

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Gigi is a wonderful artist coach and mentor. She has vast knowledge of how the art world works and she helps artists to navigate this sometimes complex world. She has helped me with my artist bio, statement and cv. She is supportive in helping the artist speak out their authentic voice and she asks strong, valuable and intelligent questions. I would highly recommend Gigi to emerging and established artists alike. Thank you Gigi for working with me.”

– Babita Sharma | Instagram.com/BabitaSharma | 2019-08-09

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Gigi est une artiste très dévouée, tu peux clairement voir qu’elle est passionnée par ce qu’elle fait! Elle se pousse constamment à en découvrir plus et à apprendre sur le sujet d’origine de ses créations. Son travail est absolument magnifique et très intéressant elle communique bien ses idées et sa vision et à de la facilité à écouter et à comprendre les gens! D’ailleurs, son travail vient chercher et faire ressortir les millions de personnalités entre nous tous, magnifique!”

– Shaheena Piedalue | ShaheenasArtwork.com | 2019-07-30

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Je suis très satisfaite du travail de Gigi, car j’ai toujours des appels de dossiers très intéressants selon la demande que je lui fait. Elle fait des recherches selon mes besoins spécifiques pour exposer mes toiles. Je suis contente, car je cherchais exactement quelqu’un qui puisse m’envoyer l’heure juste sur les expositions à venir.”

– Mariane Vincent | ArtbyZaima.com | 2019-02-11

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Gigi Retzo worked for me as my assistant and colleague in my arts management consulting business a few years ago, before she set up the Artzy Retzo initiative. It was a pleasure to work with her during this time.

She is an exceptionally quick learner, very organized, diligent, and efficient. She went well beyond her duties and I trusted her with high-level initiatives and decision-making on a regular basis. I always knew I could rely on her abilities and intelligence to interface with clients in a professional and productive manner. Visual artists seeking assistance in managing their practice have a lot to benefit from having her on their team.“

– Archita Ghosh | Linkedin.com/in/Archita-Ghosh | edFilms.net | 2018-06-20

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Une belle équipe, qui travaille avec sérieux et engagement. Une collaboration qui a porté fruit. Merci Retzo!

– Anne Billy | AnneBilly.com | 2018-06-18

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Amis, artistes, collègues,

J’ai le plaisir de témoigner de mon excellente expérience professionnelle aux côtés de Gigi Retzo. Nous travaillons ensemble depuis déjà plusieurs années et son apport à tout ce qui concerne l’aspect bureaucratique de ma pratique est pour moi d’une valeur inestimable. Gigi s’implique à tous les niveaux et son aide m’est précieuse pour, entre autres choses, la recherche d’opportunités, l’envoi de soumissions ou l’amélioration de mon site web.

Elle s’occupe de façon remarquablement efficace et bienveillante de toutes les démarches relatives à ma carrière (recherche de lieux d’exposition, de résidences, ainsi que de possibilités de subventions et soumissions). Gigi est très fiable et responsable et c’est un grand plaisir de travailler avec elle.

Ses connaissances du milieu local et national et sa compréhension de mon travail et de mes aspirations font en sorte qu’elle sait faire les choix judicieux quant aux lieux et aux projets qui favorisent le rayonnement de ma carrière. Disposant d’une vaste banque de données informatiques et d’un sens inné de l’organisation, Gigi a toute ma confiance pour s’occuper des démarches administratives liées à ma pratique. Grâce à ses services, je peux prendre le temps (considérable!) alloué à ces tâches et l’utiliser plutôt au travail en atelier!

Son implication dynamique a également contribué à l’obtention de plusieurs expositions solo, notamment à la Galerie d’art d’Outremont (Montréal, QC, 2014), TRUCK Gallery (Calgary, AB, 2015), à la Maison des arts de Laval (Laval, QC, 2015), au Centre d’exposition de Mont-Laurier (Mont-Laurier, QC, 2016), à la Harcourt House (Edmonton, AB, 2016) et à Arnica (Kamloops, BC 2017) et d’autres sont prévues pour cette année. J’ai également participé, au cours des dernières années, à de nombreuses expositions de groupe au Québec et au Canada.

Le dévouement dont fait preuve Gigi envers ma carrière me permet de me consacrer à temps plein à ma production tout en profitant régulièrement d’occasions de montrer mes œuvres dans des lieux qui correspondent entièrement à mes ambitions.

Je recommande Gigi Retzo avec chaleur et enthousiasme à quiconque vise à développer sa carrière professionnelle tout en passant le plus de temps possible en atelier.“

– Sonia Haberstich | Haberstich.com | 2018-06-01

* * * * * * * * * * *

“To Whom It May Concern,

I write this letter of reference happily on behalf of Gigi Retzo. I began working with Gigi as my consultant and representative last year. I have to say, to date I have had absolutely no occasion to regret this arrangement.

A year ago, my career as a visual artist could well be described as “comatose”—a group show here, some interest there maybe, little else. Working with Gigi has changed all that for me. This year I have three solo shows and a festival—and, as I write this, it’s still only March. It’s good to be alive!

I am writing all this to you as an accomplished, published writer and editor, who knows very well how to put together an application dossier. Sure, I can send out a dozen applications in a month. But what about the next month … and the next? It’s hard for an artist to keep making time for this kind of administrative work.

[…] Beyond keeping up a consistent volume of applications, her keen, critical sense for evaluating my situation and assessing what my career needs to move to the next step is simply invaluable. In that regard, I have to mention that she also possesses a formidable database of artist opportunities—exhibitions, grants, residencies, etc.!

Accordingly, should you have the opportunity to do business with Gigi Retzo, I urge you strongly to give her your closest consideration.“

– Edwin Janzen | Edwin-Janzen.weebly.com | 2016-03-16