Bill Vazan

“Instead of encouraging the fragmentation of life and thought that largely characterises contemporary society, my work reconnects the individual, society and nature.” -1983

Known for his conceptual works exploring the relationship between humanity and the cosmos and challenging perceptions of space and time, Bill Vazan creates land art installations and photo-montages of cultural and historical sites around the world. Vazan also makes stone sculptures, videos and site-specific works related to land art themes.

Vazan studied at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and the École des beaux-arts in Paris. In 1970, he received a fine arts degree from Sir George Williams University in Montreal.

Though he travels across the globe for photographic, land art and sculpture projects, Vazan has been involved in Montreal’s avant-garde art scene for decades, helping establish artist-run galleries, participating in exhibitions and teaching at the Université du Québec à Montréal. His creation of “photo-mosaic” grids started in the mid-nineteen seventies, with works such as Sixth Circle, Stonehenge; Milan Roof and Two Levels – Tower Bridge.  For Vazan, the longevity of stone engraving points to the non-permanence that exists beneath our basic comprehension of reality. The intricately engraved boulder Black Nest exemplifies this view, as well as the influence of ancient petroglyphs in Vazan’s style. Vazan received the Paul-Émile-Borduas prize for art and design from the province of Quebec in 2010.