Ottawa's Sweetest Artist Is About to Sculpt 200 Reasons to Smile
Ottawa has a new creative hero, and he works in clay. Benjamin Lachapelle, a 23-year-old local artist, has quietly built a massive online following — millions of views and counting — with his signature sleeping-animal figurines: tiny, round, impossibly peaceful creatures that seem to radiate warmth through a screen. Now, he's bringing that energy home in a big way.
To mark Ottawa's 200th anniversary, Lachapelle has taken on what might be his most ambitious project yet: sculpting 200 different animal species, one for each year of the city's history. It's a creative undertaking that's as joyful as it sounds, and one that carries a deeper message about inclusion, community, and celebrating the full spectrum of life.
From the Internet to the Capital
Lachapelle's rise is the kind of story that feels tailor-made for this moment. His clay animals — often depicted mid-nap, limbs tucked, faces serene — struck a chord with audiences burned out on loud, chaotic content. In a feed full of noise, his work was quiet. Gentle. Human.
The viral success wasn't accidental. Lachapelle has spoken about the intentional warmth behind each piece — the way the rounded shapes and restful poses are meant to evoke safety and acceptance. Every animal, no matter how obscure or unusual, gets the same tender treatment. A pangolin. A blobfish. A star-nosed mole. In his hands, they're all beautiful.
That philosophy maps neatly onto the 200-species anniversary project. The choice to include 200 different species isn't just a numerical tribute to Ottawa's bicentennial — it's a deliberate statement that every kind of creature deserves a seat at the table. Or in this case, a little clay plinth.
Why This Project Matters for Ottawa
Ottawa is a city that likes to celebrate itself thoughtfully. The 200th anniversary isn't just a number — it's a chance to reflect on what the city has become and what it wants to be. Lachapelle's project fits squarely into that conversation.
By choosing 200 species — spanning the familiar and the rarely-seen — he's creating a visual metaphor for the city itself: a place made richer by its differences. The project doubles as a call for inclusion, a theme that resonates in a capital city that is home to diplomats, refugees, long-time residents, and newcomers from every corner of the world.
For Ottawa's arts community, it's also a reminder that homegrown talent is thriving. Lachapelle didn't need to leave to find his audience. He built it here, from a studio somewhere in this city, one sleeping animal at a time.
What's Next
Details on where and when the completed 200-species collection will be displayed are still emerging, but the scope of the project suggests it could become one of the more memorable public art moments of Ottawa's anniversary year. If the internet's reaction to his work is any guide, it'll be worth the wait.
For anyone who's ever watched a Lachapelle figurine slowly come to life on screen — the careful smoothing of clay, the tiny details of a closed eye or a curled tail — the idea of seeing 200 of them together in one place feels like an event.
Ottawa's 200th year is shaping up to have a very good mascot.
Source: Ottawa Citizen. Read the original story.
