Henriette Valium

Biography

Henriette Valium (aka Patrick Henley), is a comic book artist and painter living in Montreal. Valium gained some recognition in the underground comic scene in Europe and North America in the 1980s, but his outrageous style has kept him on the margins of the comic book industry.

Valium is for sure one of the greatest cartoonist of all time. For the last three decades his creations have been widely dispersed in numerous underground anthologies, fanzines, self-published oversized silkscreen comics, and various mixed-media collaborations. He’s become a regular in almost every independent zine, compilation and catalogue in North America and Europe. The heavy black lines and manic detailing of Valium’s psychotic storylines demand attention, weeding out any casual readers.

In his extremely peculiar way, Valium explores the rotting decay of an urban environment that he obsessively renders and depicts in horrific, sometimes nonsensical way. He’s hilariously fascinated as well with every possible corruptions of the human body and it’s mind: sickness, addictions, abnormal sexuality and social decay, exposing our culture’s fears and hypocrisies with an acute, caustic, sharp and absurd sense of humor. Many say that his books are more about creating an experience than reading a comic book. I say there’s nothing wrong about being both.

Artist CV

SOLO EXHIBITS

“Habemus Papam”, Espace Robert Poulin, Montréal (Qc), 2013
“No Es Su Culpa”, Galerie La Lasserelle, Marseille (Fr), 2002
“Comment faire un dessin”, Galerie Clark, Montréal (Qc), 2001
“Ces enfants qui puent Dieu”, Local Sopref, Montréal (Qc), 2000
“Coeur de Maman” Local à Ben, Montréal (Qc), 2000
“Valium à Paris”, Galerie Regard Moderne, Paris (Fr), 1997
“You’re a fish”, Galerie Fétish, Montréal (Qc), 1987
“Syndrome”, Galerie Oboro, Montréal (Qc), 1983

GROUP EXHIBITS

“La foire A.C.”, Galerie Yves Laroche, Montréal (Qc), 2015
“Mixed Grill”, Espace Robert Poulin, Montréal (Qc), 2015
“Le dernier cri à Montréal”, Galerie Clark, Montréal (Qc), 2004
“While you were sleeping”, La luz de Jesus, L.A. (USA), 2000
“100 livres d’artistes”, BNQ, Montréal (Qc), 1999
“BD bande à part II”, Musée Juste Pour Rire, Montréal (Qc), 1998
“Festival de BD d’Angoulême”, Angoulême (Fr), 1989
“Mail Art Espagne”, Escuela de Artes, Madrid (Sp), 1989
“Babylone Bobigny”, Centre d’Art Bobigny, Paris (Fr), 1989
“Oboro 50”, Galerie Oboro, Montréal (Qc), 1985
“Vertigo”, BNQ, Montréal (Qc), 1984
“Entre la magie et la panique”, MAC, Montréal (Qc), 1983

SOLO PUBLICATIONS

“The Palace of Champions”, Conundrum Press, TNT OC, 2016
“Valium Greatest Hits”, Insolin Addict, SKOPJE MAC, 2014
“Artatouf Biblo Copulex”, H. Valium, Montréal (Qc), 2013
“Mutants III”, Le Dernier Cri, Marseille (Fr), 2008
“AB Bedex Compilato” L’Association, Paris (Fr), 2007
“Princesse Brune”, H. Valium, Montréal (Qc), 2006
“Mutants II”, Le Dernier Cri, Marseille (Fr), 2002
“Mutants I”, Le Dernier Cri, Marseille (Fr), 2001
“Curés Malades”, Le Dernier Cri, Marseille (Fr), 2000
“Coeur de Maman”, H. Valium, Montréal (Qc), 2000
“The Clinical Visit”, Chacal Puant, Conflans (Fr), 1998
“LPADFR”, Mille Putois, Saint-Lambert (Qc), 1997
“LPADFR”, Le Dernier Cri, Marseille (Fr), 1997
“Primitive Cretin”, H. Valium, Montréal (Qc), 1996
“Primitive Cretin”, Fangraphics Books, Seattle (USA), 1995
“Maladies”, Chacal Puant, Conflans (Fr), 1990
“Alphabet Peltex Q”, Model Peltex, Paris (Fr), 1990
“Elle est de retour”, Beau Nageur, Lille (Fr), 1989
“Album Iceberg”, H. Valium, Montréal (Qc), 1989
“1000 Rectums, H. Valium, Montréal (Qc), 1986
“Sydrôme” OBU, Montréal (Qc), 1983
“Vajorbine 14” H. Valium, Montréal (Qc), 1982

Portfolio