Born in Montréal, Canada (1976), Etienne Zack is a US and Canadian contemporary artist. He was based in Vancouver, Canada from 1997-2008, in Los Angeles between 2010 and 2016, and now lives and works in Washington State, US. Zack studied at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver (2000), Concordia University (1997) and College St-Laurent in Montreal (1996).

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Etienne Zack’s paintings serve as code-like environments where paint, language, text, image, history, and architecture merge. He views painting as a dynamic writing and reading technology, intricately reflecting the depths of the human mind. His work contemplates the remarkable endurance of the language of painting in synthesizing multiple realities.

 

Zack's recent paintings depict urban scenes, specifically marginal spaces where he inserts fictitious cognitive systems (signs, numbers, charts, graph, etc.), tools commonly used to abstract, interpret, quantify and ultimately extract reality. This work points to a world in which the boundaries between inner and outer experiences are increasingly blurred.

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Etienne Zack’s noteworthy solo exhibitions include: (forthcoming in 2027) Oakville Galleries (Canada); Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Canada); Bergen Kunsthall (Norway); Thomas Dane Gallery (England); Surrey Art Gallery (Canada); Esker Foundation (Canada) and Blackwood Gallery University of Toronto (Canada). His work has been included in numerous exhibitions at Asia Art Center (Taiwan); Hefei Contemporary Museum (China); MASS MoCA (USA); Torrance Art Museum (USA); National Gallery of Canada (Canada); Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (Canada); The Model Museum (Ireland); Vancouver Art Gallery (Canada); Norwich Gallery (England) amongst others.

 

Zack's paintings are collected by institutions and museums including the National Gallery of Canada (Canada), Vancouver Art Gallery (Canada), Montreal Fine Arts Museum (Canada), Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Canada), National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (Canada), Art Bank of Canada (Canada), Surrey Art Gallery (Canada). Glenbow Museum (Canada), City of Montréal (Canada), Zabludowicz Collection (England) and The Model Museum (Ireland) to name a few. His work can also be found in numerous corporate and private collections in the United States, Europe, Scandinavia, Hong Kong, Beijing, Ireland, England and across Canada.