Simon Rivest is an interdisciplinary artist with an atypical background. He was initially trained as a graphic designer. In the early stages of his career, a stint in the advertising industry had a profound effect on his creativity. He developed a creative process that challenged boundaries to open up new avenues, while gaining solid experience in electronic and print production. Since 2001, he has been producing as part of the duo Doyon-Rivest. Their work has been exhibited in numerous institutions in Canada and Europe. The duo has produced a number of perennial and event-based public artworks. Simon also collaborates with a range of cultural actors through Ping Pong Ping, the creative studio he founded with his partner Catherine Lepage. His solo practice explores the culture of obsolescence as a complement to innovation and a paradigm of progress. He lives and works in Montreal.
“My practice unfolds in a more personal zone that I had left aside before in favor of the duo. I give free rein to gesture and claim the right to produce purely intuitive works. I'm convinced that, nowadays, we collectively need to communicate in a less cerebral way, as conceptual art encourages us to do, by getting closer to feeling. So I build on my experience as a creator with an approach that renews itself in real time.’’