Artistic Transformation of Historical Records
Marie-Claire Blais, namesake of the late writer, was born in Lévis in 1974. Her curiosity in art and architecture stems from her family's artistic legacy. Her great-grandfather sculpted and renovated churches in Beauce with his father. Her uncles were in cabinetmaking and construction, while her mother, an art enthusiast, had to make a choice between family and art.
Blais studied architecture at the University of Montreal from 1993 to 1997, but her passion for art eventually led her to painting. She describes her creative process as encompassing mathematics, philosophy, sciences, and arts, stating she feels like a Renaissance woman engaged in continuous research and experimentation.
In 2000, Blais met her partner, artist Pascal Grandmaison, at a collective exhibition in Moncton. Their creative relationship bloomed, with their first collaboration producing 11 videos for the creation "Herri Kopter" by singer Jérôme Minière the following year. Since then, they have pursued separate projects while occasionally collaborating on joint creations, such as "La vie abstraite" in 2015 – a video corpus acquired by the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art.
Blais is currently represented by René Blouin and showcases a spatial approach to art. Beds, aluminum sheets, and painted shapes occupy spaces in her exhibitions to emphasize their role as transmitters of sensations to the viewer. Catherine Bédard, the director of exhibitions at the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, describes her work:
"Marie-Claire Blais delves into the visible as an expression of our relationship to the world. She investigates the superficiality or complexity of this field, dissects its fabric, and welcomes us into subtle worlds that emerge as the interstices of our real world."
Marie-Claire Blais continues to impress with her artistic innovations, showcasing new paintings and a sound work in a recent exhibition in a Québec museum[2]. Additionally, her book "Mad Shadows" is featured in some art and architecture collections[3], further highlighting her diverse contributions to the world of art.
The analysis of Marie-Claire Blais's works often reveals a connection between her lifestyle and her art, as she frequently explores the relationship between individuals and their environments, with a specific focus on home-and-garden motifs. Her personal experiences growing up surrounded by artisans and architects have significantly influenced this thematic interest in her paintings and installations.
