Mythical messenger

"It's sort of a self-portrait as Serge Gainsbourg. In one hand are the roses, in the other is the gun--it's about how everything is a contradiction in life: love and hate, day and night, yin and yang," Local artist Hermes deciphers "Face a Face" (pictured), the central painting of his Septimo ou Le Spasme de vivre series.

Hermes' inspirations span a gregarious gamut: ancient Greek mythology (hence his name, duh); aforementioned pouty French crooner Gainsy; pop culture ("I'm like Madonna: I'm in my 'ray of light' period," he says of the bright colours in his recent work); politics (the piece "Americanus" is a comment on how America's cult of overconsumption is eating the world); poetry (the term "Le spasme de vivre" comes from an existentialist poem by Emile Neligan); and friends who act as muses and mentors. Playful references are made to Manet, Botticelli and even the late-'60s cult film Midnight Cowboy.

Though his influences are diverse, Hermes doesn't have any difficulty tying them all together: "I'm all about unity, fusion, free expression. We are all looking for our other half, our complement, striving for balance. This is what I express in my paintings." At Bistro Girlys (1271 Amherst) until Feb. 5. :

--Genevieve Paiement