“For years I have driven by the sculpture The Eye by David Altmejd and admired it. I’d see it every time I went to my grandfather’s and it is my favorite sculpture of all time. I admire the odd physique and the distorted wings―the sculpture felt angelic to me. I illustrated my favorite part, the head of hands. I found the placement of the hands around the head comforting―it made the figure look mysterious. I see this statue as a guardian of Montreal, being called The Eye and having an angelic presence. I feel it resembles a Watcher. I feel safe around this statue.”
— Sammy Keeb Rich (Grade 11, Westmount High School, Montreal, Quebec)

A star in the international art world, contemporary Montreal-born artist David Altmejd (b.1974) works predominantly in large-scale sculpture, creating uncanny works that engage with different conceptions of reality, transformation, and perception.