Claude Arseneault, In Dialogue With Print

Exhibition at the Gallery (space 105)
September 5 — October 18 2025

Vernissage on the occasion of Pôle de Gaspé' Rentrée culturelle  (check the event here)
September 5, from 5 to 22 p.m.

Presence of the Artist at the gallery
September 13, from 12-5pm

Mediation activity (upcoming event)
September 27, from 2 to 4 p.m for the Journée de la Culture (more details to come)

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Claude Arsenault has set out several series of works in the gallery space, some ready to hang, others still in progress; all are waiting for the editing process necessary for installing the show. They are spread out as if she is taking inventory of all her investigations from past to present of "what is print?" Mixing humour with the didactic, the works reflect the path she has taken in the ever-changing world of print media.

A life-long, conscientious teacher, Claude Arsenault has worked hard to advance a more ecological way of making prints. Her sumptuous black series Ciel noir, ciel changeant et ciel clair, combining traditional etching with non-toxic plate lithography, offers a glimpse into the evolving alchemy of how a print was once made—from its toxic beginnings with solvents to its current use of gentler ecological processes, some developed by Arsenault. A series of large, didactic, poster-like works, printed on photo-polymer plates, reveals her acute sense of irony and humour, and are a nod to the never-ending criticism that print media is dead, too craft-based, too technical, or, worse yet, not real art.

The work Fossils reveals, in a sculptural form, the traces of objects regularly used by the artist. Arsenault has asked fellow artists to contribute to this work. As objects of the past and the present, this work points to a way of working that is more collaborative.

Print media is a dance of process between hand and material, a matrix and a press.

It is a timely labour of love and a challenge that Arsenault embraces!

-Text by Karen Trask

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Bio:

Claude Arseneault, a pioneer in the development of eco-responsible practices in printmaking in Montréal, has presented her work in several exhibitions, including the 14th International Biennale in Sarcelles (France), the Okanagan Print Triennial in Kelowna (Canada), the Joyce Yahouda Gallery (Montréal), the John B. Aird Gallery (Toronto), and Impact 12 in Bristol (United Kingdom).

She has also undertaken residency projects at the University of Lafayette (Louisiana), the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica (Venice), Atelier Graff (Montréal), and Prints on Paper (Vermont, USA).

Claude Arseneault is a member of L’imprimerie, centre d’artistes, Atelier Circulaire, Arprim, and Centre Sagamie. She taught as a lecturer at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Concordia University, and McGill University, before holding a permanent position as a professor of visual arts at Dawson College in Montréal.

She has served on the boards of Atelier Graff, the Conseil québécois de l’estampe, and Arprim, a center for printmaking experimentation. She is currently pursuing her research in eco-responsible and photographic practices at L’imprimerie, centre d’artistes, in Montréal.

Artistic statement:

Claude Arseneault’s artistic practice explores the dialogue between the intimate and the universal, between traditional practices and their contemporary reinventions.

For many years, her work has examined the multiple dimensions of artistic creation in the field of printmaking: its issues, its materialities, and its histories. She seeks to build bridges between her personal life and her creative process, integrating reflections on ecology, memory, and communities.

Her recent works propose an introspective and playful journey through the aesthetic, conceptual, and technical dimensions of printmaking. This project refers back to her own trajectory as a woman artist who has dedicated her life to experimentation and to the sharing of knowledge in printmaking and engraving.

The exhibition’s scenography, inspired by history and archaeology museums, playfully references the observations and questions that have fueled her practice and research over the years: the development of greener techniques, the increasing presence of women in the field, and the creation of communities of women and marginalized people around printmaking and self-publishing.

Having lived and worked in spaces where domestic life and studio practice intertwine, she gradually began to view the objects around her—whether intimate or related to creation—as elements of a personal and artistic genealogy. This material memory allows her to gain perspective on past experiences and to reflect on the evolution of her own practice as well as that of printmaking within her community.

The exhibition In Dialogue with Print continues this reflection on the legacy of printmaking techniques, their reinterpretation, and their resonance in today’s world.