The ligne sous presse exhibition presents a series of explorations of etchings; corpus to which are added, in resonance, recent drawings and written traces. The printed works are the result of a one-year residency that Julie Ouellet carried out between 2019 and 2021 at Atelier Circulaire, thanks to the François-Xavier Marange research grant (UQAM Foundation).

By using the means of engraving and more particularly by operating in the field of intaglio, Ouellet seeks to put her drawing practice to the test. What part of the process will be able to withstand the weight of the press? By an instinctive approach, interested in chance and accident, the artist therefore voluntarily puts the gesture under pressure: it is a way of forcing a recapture which revives it, pushes it to surpass itself and to generate astonishment. , a state that motivates her to work.

In the printing workshop, the sequence of patient, precise and meticulous gestures - necessary for the birth of the image - captivates her hand which seeks to integrate, to adjust, to conform to the new working environment. . The artist remains attentive to what is happening: the tracks are blurred, the borders are crumbling. The drawing continues in the moment of printing which becomes a highlight of the creative work, it is the place where the transformations take place. The press "belongs" to the artist, it is its extension, draws with it. As for the result, it "holds by a single thread", a series of unique and fortuitous gestures.

Artist Statement

Julie Ouellet lives and works in Montreal. She holds a bachelor's degree (2001) and a master's degree (2019) in visual and media arts from the University of Quebec in Montreal. She has been conducting research in the broader field of drawing and painting for over 20 years. Her recent experiments lead her to work in the middle of nature, "with" nature, and to create ephemeral works. Her work is regularly presented in Montreal and internationally. Notably, Ouellet was the subject of a major mid-career retrospective exhibition at 1700 La Poste (2021). She has been represented by Galerie Simon Blais since 2003, where her most recent solo exhibition forêt flush was presented (2022). She will participate in a residency in July 2023, at the Maeght Foundation (Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France).