A Reflection on the Invisible - Aude Guivarc’h

 

A Reflection on the Invisible - Aude Guivarc’h  - June 3-June 30

Pride 2021 Visual Art Installation in partnership with Underscore Projects

 

“A reflection on the invisible”, is a discussion about the unseen. 

Daylight renders this installation highly reflective, it mirrors people, their environment. In a way, the sculpture fades into its surroundings during the day. At night, the semi-transparent two-way mirror doesn’t reflect as much, thus letting the inner lighting define the shape of the sculpture. 

Seldom ostracized by society, with limited visibility and support, queer, trans, and people of color can often feel like they don’t belong. At night, home and safe within their community, they can truly be themselves and shine their true light. 

Here the dichotomy of night and day here symbolizes how alienated people might choose to camouflage into society by reflecting what it wants to see.

The sculptural shape of this polygonal installation reverences the vulva. Large in size, it is staged as an imposing yet graceful monolith, defying society’s oppression and inculcating respect. For the artist, representing the vulva is a symbolic gesture, referencing Pierre Courbet’s L’origine du Monde (The Origin of the World) and protesting the disproportionate presence of male genitalia against female’s in popular culture, tv, movies and art. By choosing the symbol of the feminine organ, the artist creates a correlation between femininity and the inner strength this organ possesses.  

About the artist

Aude Guivarc’h (She/Her) is a new media and digital artist based in Montreal. She creates and conceptualizes digital art, multimedia content for performances, immersive experiences and interactive installations. She finds her inspiration in nature, music and new technologies. This is reflected in her works through the use of patterns and movements that recall the forces of nature, but also her fascination with fractals, the human body and musical rhythm. In her work, Aude questions our relationship to nature and the ecological issues humans face, with a feminist and socially engaged approach.

Aude is a Franco-Québécoise female-identified queer artist. Sensitive to the intersectionality between feminism and ecological issues, she works towards developing a dialog between eco-feminism and technology overuse.

At the crossroads between visual arts and new technologies, Aude develops her ideas using drawing, mural painting, calligraphy, sculpture, photography, 3D modeling, motion design and interactive design to create fascinating, vertiginous and provocative universes. Active since 2010, Aude has presented her work in more than fifteen solo and group exhibitions, in venues such as Never Apart, l’Arsenal and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and for events such as MAPP_MTL, Art Souterrain, Under Pressure, Osheaga and C2 Montréal.

After graduating from college in Visual Arts (2005), Aude completed a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design at Université de Montréal (2010). It is during her studies that she developed her interests and skills in 3D modeling, computer animation, interactive technologies and user experience (UX). This academic background reflects her interest in visual and applied art, reconciling her technological curiosity and her desire for artistic expression.

From 2010 to 2017, Aude was a motion designer, then multimedia director, for Moment Factory Studios in Montreal. In this capacity, she created visual experiences and multimedia environments combining visuals, lighting, interactives and scenographic elements for the concert tours of Arcade Fire, Ed Sheeran, JAIN, Muse and Madonna, as well as content for immersive installations such as the SuperReal exhibition, a digital art experience in the heart of New York City. Since 2018, she continues to collaborate with Moment Factory independently and in the fall of 2020, she participated in the creation of Billie Eilish's Livrestream XR.

When she is not in Montreal, Aude travels the world as a nomad. A big fan of surfing, snowboarding and climbing, these sports have taken her to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, from the Rockies to New Zealand Alps. It is these numerous trips that have inspired her in her art but have also made her aware of the fragility of our environment. Also a musician, Aude plays drums, flute and piano, and enjoys composing arrangements that immerse her works. Her musical practice nourishes her creative process with emotional strength and unique rhythm.

www.guivar.ch             @audemaeva