Patrick Lizotte
 
Patrick Lizotte

Foule, tu nous manques

Musée Beaulne, 96 rue de l’Union, Coaticook, Québec, Canada, J1A 1Y9

Patrick Lizotte, artist photographer, invites audiences of all ages and backgrounds to let themselves be lulled by the multitude of emotions expressed by these many faces who find themselves in the crowds so that they can recognize themselves through one or several of them. « Foule, tu nous manques » echoes the discomfort of many people caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown have shaken all of humanity in a way rarely seen. Through this exhibition « Foule, tu nous manques », Patrick Lizotte reminds us how good it is to come together and, having never suspected that the need to be together is not an acquired right. The artist wants these images to escape from his hard disk and find their main subjects: all of us.

Through this selection of photographs, he invites viewers of all ages and backgrounds to let themselves be lulled by the multitude of emotions expressed by these many faces and maybe see themselves through one or several of them. He also wishes to allow those who view the photos to regain a form of contact with the human being on a daily basis, whose sudden absence we have all missed. Some photos focus on a few individuals, others on a few thousand. Nevertheless, all these people represent, he dares to hope, the cultural landscape that is ours, enriched by its multicolored smiles. The artist seeks, through his images that many consider to be "street photography" in its purest form, first and foremost to provoke an exaltation in the viewer, to tell a story, which is often different from person to person.

Originally from Trois-Rivières, Patrick Lizotte travelled for the very first time at the age of 16. A real awakening occurs and the love for adventure settles in him instantly. He completed his first training in film photography at the Gilles Roux photographic workshops in Trois-Rivières in the early 90s. He used this technique for several years and then obtained a professional diploma in digital photography in 2012, the medium he now uses. Throughout these years, the trips continue to accumulate: North America, South America, Europe, Southeast Asia and more recently on Baffin Island in the Arctic. Exhibitions, set photography, teaching, media and event coverage are now part of his career.