Artist Statement

Kent Laforme a Japanese Canadian artist known for his contemplative marble
sculptures.
“Marble is my chosen medium for exploring the newness of something that has existed in one form or another since the beginning of time. The nature of this material resonates with the void, and offers a glimpse into the creation of something true. The origins of the material are the essence of my work and at the heart of my process. Somewhere, within the limits and possibilities of a stone, dwells a language beyond time and space. This is where I search for the shape of my ideas. “
Laforme’s work is influenced by Canadian artist John Greer and Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi.
Laforme’s artwork has been exhibited in New York, Hong Kong, Italy and across Canada. His work is represented by the Elliot Louis gallery in Vancouver, Canada.

Solo & Two-Person Exhibitions
2014 Temporal Landmarks-Two-Person Exhibition, Gage Gallery, Victoria, BC
2009 Altissimo — Solo Exhibition, Elliott Louis Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1999 1999 Frames of Hong Kong – Two-Person Exhibition, Fringe Gallery, Hong Kong
1998 After Truce – Two-Person Exhibition, Fringe Gallery, Hong Kong
1998 One Concept, Two Artists — Two-Person Exhibition, Artist Commune Gallery, Hong Kong
1994 Echoes and Horizons — Solo Exhibition, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, NS Group Exhibitions
2020 Penticton Public Art Program, Penticton, BC
2020 Castlegar Sculpture Walk, Castlegar, BC
2015 Sculpture Splash, Victoria, BC
2014 Sculpture Splash, Victoria, BC
2010 Objectified, Pelham Art Center, NYC, NY
2005 Atlantic Stone Sculpture Symposium Exhibition, Inverness Arts Center, NS
1998 Between the Like and Unlike, Artist Commune, Hong Kong
1997 The Yellow Pages Great Wall, Open-Air Sculpture, Hong Kong
1997 The Art of Politics, Le Mistral Gallery, Hong Kong
1995 Foreign Artists in Italy, La Badia Monastery, Camaiore, Italy
1994 Mare e Marmo, Open-Air Sculpture Exhibition, Forte Dei Marmi, Italy
1994 NSCAD Grad Exhibition, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, NS
1994 Mosaic, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, NS
1992 Peep Show, OO Gallery, Halifax, NS
Selected Media and Publications
2020 Council approves wolf sculpture for Cattle Point- Oak Bay News
2020 Oak Bay considers Takaya sculpture. artists honour lone wolf
2020 Stone Takaya sculpture could soon howl at Cattle Point
2020 Penticton Public Art Program 2020
2020 Italian Marble at home in Penticton
2020 Castlegar Sculpture Walk
2019 Sidney LitFest – An evening with Kent Laforme and Ruth James
2019 CBC 11 children’s books to check out this summer
2019 CanLit for Young Canadians- Book Review
2019 Prince Harry and family spotted vacationing in Victoria – Paseka book
2019 At Home Librarian- Paseka book review
2019 Sidney LitFest 2019
2019 Paseka review- Working Mommy Journal
2019 Book Time- Paseka review
2019 Paseka, a Little Elephant, Brave, Book Illustrations
2016 Mountains with Mountains. Oswego Building, James Bay Beacon
2014 Where Magazine “Temporal Landmarks”, Craig Spence, Fall Issue
2010 “MinusSpace Reductive Art”, Sylvan Leoni, February 3;
2009 iTunes Podcast, Elliot Louis Gallery, Ted Lederer, September 29;
2009 Kristen Krimmel Blog http://artiseternal.wordpress.com/category/sculpture/;
2008 Artist Series Video “It’s All About Art”, Ted Lederer;
2008 Where Magazine “In the Footsteps of the Masters”, Ted Lederer, Summer Issue;
2007 Times Colonist, “Oswego”, C2, April 22;
2005 Espace Magazine “Sculpting a Philosophy”, p. 45-46, Donna D’Amour, Summer Issue;
2005 Atlantic Stone Carving Catalogue, “Inverness Centre for the Arts”, Vanessa Paschakarnis;
2005 Inverness Oran, “Stone Symposium”, Frank McDonald, August 31;
1997 World Sculpture News Magazine, Summer Issue Selected Commercial and Public Commission Work
2020 Soul of a Wolf- stqéyə, Cattle Point, Victoria, BC
2014: Marble Column and Kite, Pillar of Ability. Vancouver BC
Commissioned by the BC Centre for Ability.
2011: Furito, Victoria, BC
Commissioned to create sculpture by Colliers International.
2006: Stone’s Throw, Sidney, BC
Commissioned to carve two outdoor granite sculptures for Stone’s Throw townhouse by Roads End Contracting.
2006: Oswego Hotel (Landmark Law Group), Victoria, BC
Commissioned to carve two outdoor marble sculptures for the Oswego Hotel.
2005: Port Hawkesbury Civic Center, Port Hawkesbury, NS

Symposium outdoor marble sculpture selected to be installed at the Community Civic Center.
2005: Atlantic Stone Carving Symposium, Cape Breton, NS
Worked as one of eight Canadian artists selected for the National Sculpture
Symposium.
2004: Custom House Global Foreign Exchange, Trophy for the Canada Rugby
Sevens MVP
Commissioned to design and create one principal bronze trophy, and four secondary trophies, to be awarded to Rugby Canada’s Player of the Year and the Canadian Rugby Sevens MVP.
2004: Cinque Terre, English Bay, Vancouver, BC
Commissioned to create an outdoor marble fountain sculpture with water feature for the Cinque Terre residences.
2003: Interlude Spa, Halifax, NS
Commissioned to create three indoor marble sculptures.
1996: Korean Business Air Services (KBAS), Seoul, South Korea
Commissioned to create an indoor black granite sculpture for the lobby of KBAS office building in South Korea.
Professional Sculpture Assistant
1996 Pietrasanta, Italy, Canadian artist John Greer (Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Canada)
1995 Pietrasanta, Italy, Taiwanese artist Cynthia Sah (Museum of Taiwan, Taiwan)
1993 Zurich, Switzerland, Japanese artist Akiko Sato (Museum Bellerive, Switzerland)

Education. Scholarships and Grants
1990 to 1994 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), BFA, Halifax, NS
1993 to 1994 NSCAD, Independent Off-Campus Study Program, Pietrasanta, Italy
1987 to 1990 John Abbott College, D.E.C Fine Arts, Montreal, QC
1993 to 1996 Studio Leonardi, Pietrasanta, Italy
1998 Hong Kong Arts and Development Council, Artist Exhibition Grant
1993 NSCAD, William Peters Scholarship
1992 NSCAD, Centennial Scholarship