Victoria Rose Torre is a traditional oil painter with an iconoclastic vision. Hailing from New York, where she received formal training at the Pratt Institute, Torre is expanding her practice to Montreal, where her schooling continues at the hands of love, Mother Nature, and anticolonial solidarity.
Through her works, Torre challenges the inaccessibility of the sublime, suffusing an earnest reverence into scenes both familiar and extraordinary. Light emerges as the protagonist of her landscapes, guiding her explorations of the occult. Viewers are invited to partake in her investigation—steeped in equal parts mystery and mischief—as a means of channelling their bare and universal humanity.
I have had the great pleasure of knowing Victoria since her arrival in Montreal. That first frantic city summer, we bonded over the agony of perfectionism between countless repaints of the dark waves in her Luna et Turbulencia series. Winter soon descended, and news of genocide with it; compelled to mobilize against injustice, her reflections on the gravity of hope motivated her next series, Sun Worship. Influenced indelibly by this place and this moment, her work evokes a shared exhilaration as she captures the impossible, life-giving phenomenon of light in air.
-Written by Jarku Tang
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Where do you live?
I spend most of my time between Montréal and New York. When I’m here, I share a small live/work space in Rosemont with my partner. Our record and CD collection, along with the sound system, are within arm’s reach of the work table—which is great.
I really love our neighbourhood. Montréal, in general, is far greener than New York by a long shot. It’s one of the most relaxed, introspective cities I’ve ever known. There’s also a deeply special feeling found in the multiculturalism here. It’s a fantastic place to be as an artist.
What do you do?
I work primarily full-time as a gouache and oil painter. In my landscapes, I aim to reveal the transcendental quality of the natural world. Art, by default, is a process of discovery; for me, painting is an ongoing investigation into mysticism and the medium itself.
I believe it’s a mistake to think of art as existing outside politics or current events. My paintings are created for a greater community — for those actively engaged in the struggle for liberation, those in solidarity with the global majority, and those laying the groundwork for a more equitable future.
What are you currently working on?
I’m always working on about five or six paintings at a time to keep things fresh. Lately, I’ve been taking a lot of inspiration from Georgia O’Keeffe’s time in the Adirondacks. I recently traded a painting at Chef Pottery Studio in Hochelaga for some studio time there — it’s exciting to work with another medium after so many years of just paint. Throwing clay is such a meditative practice. I’ve also been obsessed with beads ever since seeing the Ancient Bead trunk show at TWM & Daughters this summer.
Where can we find your work?
Until the end of this month, you can catch some works at Lux La Lumière in the mile end. It’s a very special, intimate bistro/galerie run by a dear friend of ours. On my Instagram, there are regular painting raffles for relief in Gaza and other mutual aid opportunities, and my page is full of affordable art. You can also visit my website.
