About Simon Kattar

ARTIST STATEMENT

Simon Kattar, reflecting on his creative process, says that “it is largely intuitive and spontaneous, inspired by music, nature, and his grateful experience of everyday life

Sometimes I think I do more painting when I'm not painting. Inspiration can come from anywhere and from the most unexpected places, but music is a constant source of revelation: Chopin, Vivaldi, or the voice of Fairuz, melancholic and nostalgic.

However seemingly mundane.” Colour, texture, gesture and organic forms are layered and blended into a visual weave that hints at underlying feelings and the complexity of our inner lives as well as the world around us.

Exploring the dual heritage and cultural Lebanese Canadian, His painting are an extension of physical experience and memories.

He intends his work to be a point of connection between himself and the viewer, and the viewer and their own personal landscapes.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Simon Kattar is an abstract expressionist painter, known for his bold use of colour and texture. He is inspired by artists Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler, among others. He has painted since he was a child and returned to his first love of painting full-time in recent years.

Simon was born and raised in Lebanon and attended École Libanaise des Beaux-Arts. He moved to Toronto in 1973. For over 40 years, he dedicated himself to the culinary arts, as the co-owner and executive chef of Á la carte kitchen. Simon is also the founder of Waladi Child Education Fund of Toronto, which promotes education as a right for children from marginalized communities at home and around the world.

Simon began showing his work in the late 1980s, in small public galleries and in private settings. He has held a number of exhibitions to benefit the Waladi Child Education Fund of Toronto.

EXHIBITIONS

SOLO

2022 Gesture Toronto

2019, Playing with Color,Toronto

2018, Conversations in Abstraction, Toronto

2014, Awakening the Creative Spirit, open studio, Toronto

2013, Ethereal Landscapes, Toronto

2012, City of Angels, Toronto

2011, The painting Journey Toronto

1980, Opening Doors, Artwork Gallery Toronto

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1986, Artwork Gallery, New York

1986, Artwork Gallery, Florida

1982, Artwork Gallery, Toronto