Our NUDE 2013 jury is composed of artists and professionals based in Montreal who have acquired a taste for creative images and photography. Their worldly point of view reflects Montreal’s modernity.
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec in Canada. This multicultural metropolis is renowned for its quality of life, its openness to the world as well as for its art scene. The quality in the creative work of its professionals transcends all boundaries and touches a wide variety of disciplines: dance, circus, photography, painting, cinema, electronic animation, theatre, music, literature, fashion, etc.
The NUDE 2013 Jury Members
Evik Asatoorian, Fashion Designer & President of Rudsak
Azamit, Fashion Stylist and Model
Pierre Choinière, Photographer, Gallery Owner Espace 40 (Le Comptoir d’Ailleurs)
Denis Dulude, Motion Graphics Designer
David Farsi, Visual Artist, Sculptor, Designer
Louis Giguère, President of Witness Publishing Inc. & the photographic art shop, getphotoart.com
Patrick Lesort, President of Productions Hors cadre & Co-Founder of PhotoShoot Awards
Marie-Reine Mattera, Photographer
Iouri Philippe-Paillé, Music Video & Commercial Director
Phylactère, Art Model
Heidi Taillefer, Visual Artist
Vahid Tizhouch, Director of Art Buying at Sid Lee and Jimmy Lee
Martin Villeneuve, Writer-Director-Producer
Nicolas Wasmer, President of Abekobe & Co-Founder of PhotoShoot Awards
Evik Asatoorian Fashion Designer & President of Rudsak
A visionary with a keen sense for business, Evik Asatoorian has been working in the challenging world of fashion since his teens. He first perfected his skills in the footwear industry and later opened a leather garment business with his family. In 1994, fueled by the dream of having his own label and armed with a solid background, he launched RUDSAK, a leather-goods apparel and accessories company for men and women. Today, as the president of one of the fastest-growing labels in leather garments in North America, Evik is involved in all aspects of the company's operations; from research, to design, to marketing to sales. A consistent diet of international travel and a study of social dressing patterns help him narrow the parameters of his new collections every season.
www.rudsak.com
www.rudsakstore.com
Azamit Fashion Stylist and Model
Azamit has been a fashion stylist for more than 12 years. After her studies in fashion design in Paris and Montreal, she worked as an intern with Nina Ricci. Fashion design allowed her to discover a field that she likes: fashion styling. She returned to Montreal and began working as an assistant fashion stylist for ELLE Québec and ELLE Canada for two years. She then decided to work as a freelancer and successfully obtained one contract after the other. As a model, Azamit participates in a number of photo shoots with renowned photographers and is considered to be one of the top models at Folio Montreal agency. But ultimately, it is her work as a fashion stylist that she likes and has a passion for. Very much in demand in Montreal, Azamit stands out in the industry because of her professionalism, hard work and her ability to conceptualize unique creative atmospheres.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvnpGZl5Lx4
www.foliomontreal.com/album/f2-femmes/azamit
Pierre Choinière Photograper, Gallery Owner Espace 40 (Le Comptoir d’Ailleurs)
Based out of Montreal, Canada, photographer Pierre Choinière has the rare ability to create a seductive chemistry with his models. By using defining lines and simple contrasts of color, he keeps the focus on his beautiful models as he magically enhances their beauty. Whether in Montreal or in Paris where he’s been living for many years, Pierre’s fashion and commercial photos do not go unnoticed (Shan, Charles Jourdan, Bedo, Chateleine Magazine, Jacob, Jacob Lingerie, Budweiser, Jergens’ etc.) An avid traveler, he discovered in Morocco decorative photophore candles which he imports to Montreal. He has since opened a boutique-gallery, Le Comptoir d’Ailleurs, where photographs or paintings are displayed alongside photophore candles and flower arrangements: a concept which identifies this connoisseur of art, light and colours.
pierrechoiniere.com
www.comptoirdailleurs.com
Denis Dulude Motion Graphics Designer
Denis Dulude is a Canadian type, graphic and motion graphics designer based in Montreal. After a 15 year-career as a ballet dancer (Ballets de Montréal), he graduated from his self-taught classes in 1993. To avoid job rejections, he founded in 1993 his own graphic studio, K.O. création. In 1995, Denis founded the digital type foundry 2Rebels. His work has been seen in various graphic design books and magazines for which he was honoured with numerous awards, including the Type Director Award in New York. In addition, his creations have also been seen on many TV show title sequences. As for his work in film, he has collaborated with Denys Arcand and Charles Binamé to create over twenty film opening title sequences, including L’Âge des ténèbres, Silk, Le piège américain, Maurice Richard, L’appât, Aurore and The Timekeeper. Denis has been also teaching typography at Université du Québec à Montréal and gives conferences in North America and Europe.
dulude.ca
David Farsi Visual Artist, Sculptor, Designer
During his first years as an artist, David’s encounters with Picasso and Dali introduced him to a new perspective of art. He then entered the world of art exhibitions, selling his first works of art. He created, among others, the poster and illustrations for the catalogue commemorating the Cannes Festival’s 50th anniversary. His creative dynamism is perceivable through his paintings, mosaics, stained glass, furniture and sculptures. His travels lead him to discover the use of laquer which later became his main technique for many years. In 1999, David Farsi moved to Montreal. He dedicated himself to digital art and created the Ko, a unique masterpiece of 1024 works of art. Since 2007, David, while keeping his own style, has returned to making traditional paintings, mixing oil painting and collages. David Farsi has exhibited his work in important cities all around the world such as: Paris, Los Angeles, Brussels, New York, Bonn or Bologna. Today, we find his paintings in private collections and museums.
www.davidfarsi.com
Louis Giguère President of Witness Publishing Inc. & the photographic art shop, getphotoart.com
Louis Giguère is a marketing professional with extensive experience in branding. As part of his Master’s degree, he wrote a thesis on the esthetic response and symbolism in consumption, which led him to study the behaviour of museum-goers at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. As a manager and later as a consultant, he applied these findings to his approach used in directing the work of design studios in the development of in-store communications and lifestyle product lines, many of which have won design awards in Canada and abroad. Louis knows how to translate esthetic forms, textures and contexts into experiential narrative. Louis has published many articles on large architectural project and exclusive houses. He founded Witness Publishing and its commercial arm, getphotoart.com, in 2012, with the sole mission of bringing original work to life, be it through limited prints, reproductions or derived products, with a view to infusing people’s lives with art.
getphotoart.com
Patrick Lesort President of Productions Hors cadre & Co-Founder of PhotoShoot Awards
Initiated at a very young age to the magic of images and the photo lab, Patrick attended photography school in Paris. From 1975, Patrick worked as a portrait and interior design photographer. He branched out later to graphic arts where he was Art Director for numerous design studios in Paris, Aix-en-Provence (France) and then in Montreal. Editor-in-Chief for a number of trade magazines, Patrick also became responsible for the contests Grafika (graphic design) and Lux (professional photography). At the same time, he founded his own company, les Productions Hors cadre, and became involved in the organization of cultural events. PhotoShoot Awards is a project that has come into fruition and emphasizes Patrick’s passion for artistic photography. For the past 15 years, under his artist name (Roland Cabon), Patrick has continued to create his images, namely artistic nudes, which have appeared in numerous print publications and exposed in exhibits in Montreal and in France, in particular at the Festival européen de photo de nu d’Arles, in 2006.
www.horscadre.ca
Marie-Reine Mattera Photographer
Marie-Reine Mattera opened her first studio at age 20 in Paris. There she contributed to such notable publications as Libération, L’Express and Première. In 1992, Marie-Reine immigrated to Montreal and has since developed a career in both commercial and art photography. In her studio, with her team, she shoots advertising, editorial, entertainment and women’s and men’s fashion campaigns, and has carved out an exceptional reputation in children’s fashion. Meanwhile, she has established herself as an artist as well through the projects she creates with Emmanuel Joly under the name of Mattera-Joly. With an approach that is at times different but always complementary, their artistic collaboration is fruitful and has given rise to numerous exhibitions. Together they have published 24h/24, la nuit se lève, a book exploring life at night time. In addition, Marie-Reine has won an award at Lux (contest honouring commercial and professional photography) every year for over 10 years.
www.mattera.ca
www.matterajoly.ca
Iouri Philippe-Paillé Music Video & Commercial Director
Iouri Philippe-Paillé majored from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. His work has been featured on the Vimeo home page, published on Fubiz and has been part of different music video countdowns, including the Top 30 from the renowned French magazine Les Inrocks . His music video for Mika’s “Make You Happy” has brought a lot of attention. His music videos have received wide exposure, often labelled as "Buzz Clip" or "Bomb of the Week". Iouri started in filmmaking as a director of photography and worked his way up to director. He still loves to grab a camera and play cinematographer. His experience makes for a sharp sense of imagery and a desire to always push the visuals a step further. Fascinated by new cultures and landscapes, Iouri has travelled the world. His long lasting obsession for beauty, light, freedom and dreams translates into strong visual aesthetics, and a playful exploration of visual trickeries.
www.iouriphilippepaille.com
Phylactère Art Model
Phylactère learned to observe the human body at the studio belonging to her grandparents; one a visual artist and the other a sculptor. «From the colourful movements captured on lavish paintings by my grandmother to the luminous dancers in bronze, stone or wood by my grandfather, I discovered the body as an entity that reveals its beauty to those who know where to find it». At 19, she left home to discover New York where she took her first steps as an art model in galleries specializing in drawings. «I learned about the art of posing by adopting a new perspective on space and forms; it’s a game where everything comes together to create a subtle and palpable means of expression between the artist and the model. » Phylactère discovered artistic photography in Montreal in 2008: «I’ve realized that during a photo shoot, an image can take on a multi-spatial dimension that captures a luminosity that is unseizable; that magic moment does not come by chance, it becomes tangible and surprises us altogether. »
phylactere.tumblr.com
www.modelmayhem.com/1154401
Heidi Taillefer Visual Artist
Heidi Taillefer’s work is an original creative fusion of classical figurative painting, surrealism, contemporary realism, and mythology combined with popular figurative traditions ranging from Victorian romanticism to science fiction. Her artwork is consonant with some of the 20th century surrealists. She addresses eternal issues on the human condition borrowing from mythologies throughout different eras and cultures, through the lens and language of mechanism, mirroring the ubiquity of technological advancement in the world.« My paintings are meant to denounce or celebrate technology and the changes it either promises or threatens, as a projection of what we are becoming with both the appeal of the familiar and the jolt of where we are headed. » Heidi participated in numerous solo exhibitions in New York, Washington, Palm Springs, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Montreal. Her paintings are found in private collections and in museums around the world (New York, Puerto Rico, Tel Aviv, Texas, etc.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVqswi-NiEA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=02liLj8eDaU&feature=player_embedded
www.facebook.com/pages/HEIDI-TAILLEFER/17651463533?fref=ts
www.heiditaillefer.com
Vahid Tizhouch Director of Art Buying at Sid Lee and Jimmy Lee
With a BBA in Marketing and International Business from HEC Montreal, Vahid Tizhouch founded Planète Claire in 1996, an agency representing commercial and fashion photographers. In 1996, Vahid became Senior Marketing Manager for Aldo Group, which comprises over 1000 stores specializing in shoes and fashion accessories in Canada, USA, UK and includes franchise stores in 60 other countries. Building from his experience where art and business was a happy combination, Vahid was appointed in 2010 Director of Art Buying at Sid Lee Agency and Jimmy Lee, a multi-platform production company. Traveling from Montreal to the ad and branding agency’s satellite offices located in Toronto, New York, Paris and Amsterdam, Vahid has become the most important art buyer in Canada for print, advertising and film agencies. His expertise and knowledge of visual arts are unique and in great demand.
sidlee.com
jimmylee.tv
Martin Villeneuve Writer-Director-Producer
After his studies, Martin Villeneuve directed a number of videos and worked as a TV director for Radio Canada. As a graphic designer, he created numerous posters for the film industry. In 2002, he won a bursary offered by Sid Lee where he later became Art Director and collaborated in the conception of ad campaigns for the Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity, KÀ and Corteo. His graphic novel Mars et Avril, published in 2002 was well received by the media and the public. His comic album La voix du tonnerre was launched in Quebec and in Europe. In 2006, Mars et Avril was reprinted on the occasion of the launching of the second volume of the series, À la poursuite du fantasme. He just completed his first feature film as writer-director-producer, Mars et Avril, based on the graphic novels of the same name. Martin is also a director for Moment Factory and is the first Quebecer invited to give a TED conference in Long Beach, California.
www.facebook.com/MarsEtAvril
Nicolas Wasmer President of Abekobe & Co-Founder of PhotoShoot Awards
Nicolas Wasmer is a talented web specialist in great demand whether in Quebec, France or Japan. While creating websites for Infopresse, the magazine publisher in Montreal, Nicolas discovered a new passion for photography. The websites for Grafika and Lux, the latter being a competition showcasing the works of professional photographers in Quebec, sparked Nicolas' imagination for a venue that would join both mediums, web and photography. His friendship with Patrick triggered the idea behind PhotoShoot Awards, a series of web-based photography competitions. From this point forward, it was conceivable that their idea would become reality. Nicolas is also President of Abekobe, a company specializing in the translation of Asian languages, where he works with his wife, Keiko, of Japanese origin. In addition, he has recently created the website of l'Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) in Montreal.