Craig Cloutier
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Craig Cloutier STATEMENT My work begins as a pure celebration of being. A state of wonder in the face of humans and our complicated, beautiful relationship with the world and our selves. I am fascinated by the ways in which we define, locate and measure our identities. Where does “I” begin and end? Which figments of our existence do we express as we move through the world? Which do we hide away? Which bubble up unbidden from somewhere deep? Which do we allow to be pasted on by social circumstance? The self one becomes will always be an ever-changing pastiche despite one’s efforts to create a unified and consistent persona. In this era of personal branding, social media avatars and identity politics the obsession with defining the parameters of identity obscures the fundamental truth of infinite dynamic self. One risks shutting off fruitful paths of possibility and relationship hidden behind the veil of defined persona. My work ends as a personal reminder of the illusory nature of identity, the myriad potentials appearing and transforming, and the power of opening oneself to all of it. I clip, photograph, web search, draw, paste, walk, look, take, give. Whatever I need to do to put together the visuals that tell my story. BIO As an art director working in communication and product design for more than 15 years, I have built a portfolio of commercial work designed to tell stories about ideas. My personal work takes those ideas and goes deeper to the level of human experience and expression. I tell stories using photography and collage with the odd illustration, and combine all of them. I learned the basics as a Masters Degree student at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts graphic design program. My first exhibition was a visual expression of my experience as a zen monk in Japan. Most recently, my work was published in Papercut Magazine. I drove across country from New York City to San Francisco in a 1984 Dodge Ram van in which I am currently living while I pursue creative projects and serve as caregiver for my best friend who was diagnosed with ALS last year. ARTIST CONTACT IMAGES
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