Painter, muralist, scenic painter and art educator Mary Hayes earned her BFA in Visual Arts from Concordia University. She has had several solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Quebec and North America. She has received grants from the Canada Arts Council, Conseil des arts et des Lettres du Québec, Montréal Arts Council and the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation. Her work can be found in public and private collections, such as the Art Bank of the Canada Council, Loto Québec, Grande Bibliothèque de BAnQ, the Musée du Québec and Senvest Inc. She lives and works in Tiohtià:ke - Mooniyang – Montréal.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Mary Hayes' paintings are inspired by representations of the human figure in both classical European painting and in popular culture. Recent compositions reference teen hero/anti-hero narratives from sci-fi/ fantasy/teen sleuth /adventure genres seen on TV, film, comic books and novels time and time again. Through these familiar tropes, gesture and facial expression are exploited as a means to express the individual's personal journey within society at large, processing issues such as social isolation, human transience and climate change.