Simon Bouthilier

Untitled (La), 2023

Simon Bouthillier is a Montreal-based multimedia artist. His practice revolves around conceptual installations that question the status of what is considered to be « Fine art ». He does this trough assemblages, sculptures, drawings, paintings and video installations that build’s his own iconographic language. Simon Bouthillier’s work was shown at the 2020 edition of the Art-Matters Festival, as well as two editions of the Soft Square Gallery’s temporary exhibitions.

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“Untitled (La)” is a sculptural installation that is inspired by ships in bottles that sailors used to make while on voyages at sea. It is made of wooden A’s in a carboy, accompanied with a microphone and a box that shows the musical note ‘’A’’, from the C major scale.

The repeated use of the letter A references Bouthillier’s previous pieces. It is a symbol constantly repeating in different shapes and forms in his practice. The letter creates a visual language/narrative that is particular to the artist.

The seclusion of this symbol alludes to something futile: trying to contain the infinite, the uncontainable. The ‘’A’’ has an innumerable amount of possible meanings, but at the same time, none at all. The impossible task of containing the A, both physically and conceptually, is embodied in the glass jar. It ultimately fails, because of the opening of the bottle, from where the A’s must have come from. The microphone adds humour to the work, implying that the letters could talk or make sound. The box at the end of microphone cable, displays the musical note A, a self-referentialimage which cycles back to the letter. But in the absence of sound, we are left trying to picture it.