Claudia Goulet-Blais
Artist Statement:
“‘mère-fille’ is a photography project that looks at family dynamics inherent to mother-daughter connections, highlighting how agency manifests and transforms in these relationships over time. Comprising found photos and images that I collaboratively make with my mother, the series delves into the complex interplay of aging, memory, and caregiving. It prompts a consideration of the evolving roles within mother-daughter relationships, exploring how changes in dynamics impact one’s sense of self and agency as aging occurs.
As I navigate daughterhood, I focus on unknown found photos for the memories that they hold—sometimes unknown and sometimes my own—to create a space filled with shared as well as personal memories and histories, where vernacular photography holds its own agency. I use found photographs of embraces to consider body language in mother-daughter relationships, informing my process of making photographs with and of my mother, where the act of taking of each photograph of an embrace becomes an act of care.
By combining found photos with my own, I layer the possible relationships for the viewer. My aim is not merely to document my relationship with my mother but to delve deeper into the shared experiences embedded in daughterhood, fostering care from a distance. I strive to balance my own narratives and the broader context of human experiences.”
Artist Bio:
“Claudia (b. 1996, Montréal, BC) is an image-based photo installation artist whose work examines the complexity of memory, histories, and identities. Her practice is rooted in personal experiences and connections with both people and her surrounding environment. Her work pays close attention to body language, interaction, and collecting as part of a process of constructing images that communicate internal states. She focuses on the dynamics of mother-daughter connections, capturing the nuances of aging, memory, and care. Currently based in Vancouver she is completing an MFA at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Claudia is a co-founder of Colure Collective, and former art educator. She participated in a residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland, and exhibited her work in Montréal at Eastern Bloc, Ada X, and in the Art Matters 2021 publication. She recently participated in a group show at Gallery 881 in Vancouver and will be exhibiting at OPTICA in Montreal in 2026.”