I must confess I’ve never read the newspapers,
But today, every reading is an awakening: I only draw inspiration from articles on climate change, because telling the story of these realities is becoming a necessity.
The pandemic, for reasons beyond comprehension, got me reading the Quebec Daily: La Presse. I quickly realized that my fear of the '“News” was well-founded: there’s hardly any good news - it’s as if no one was interested in it!
Artist Statement
Rather contemplative and nature-loving, I'm aware of the environmental changes taking place on my path, in my neighborhood, in my country and on my travels. Snowless winters, animals outside their ecosystems, unprecedented migrations, endangered species, endless house-building and tropical rains in the middle of the city. From these observations, eco-anxiety takes root in me, I wonder what we can do to improve/help/mitigate the planet's ills. I read the daily newspapers under the heading "Environment", then, I find out more and immerse myself in the subject. Finally, I create collages that reflect my interpretation of everything I've read. In a playful, figurative guise, similar to the Naïve style, with its blend of beauty and cynicism, these pieces generate important conversations about environmental change. My eco-consciousness fuels my work and inspires me. It dictates the message to be conveyed, whatever it may be.
Curriculum Vitae
In the late 1980s, armed with a B.A. in Art History and another in Visual Arts, Chantal Davignon taught silk painting in the community for a few years.
After several moves to the U.S. and Ontario, she made a name for herself as a textile artist in the Ottawa area in the 2000s. She created collages of hand-dyed fabrics. Curator of several group exhibitions of textile fiber artists, she was awarded an Ontario Arts Council grant to produce a solo exhibition in 2008.
Her return to Quebec in 2010 led her into the field of teaching the arts to adults with intellectual disabilities. After completing a master's degree in visual and media arts education at the Université du Québec à Montréal in 2018, Chantal will have spent 13 years in the Quebec school system with a clientele that will continue to inspire her for a long time to come.
In 2023, she returned to her full-time artistic practice, substituting textiles for hand-painted wallpaper collage, inspired by her desire to promote environmental protection. Today, Chantal Davignon is back to creating art with the challenge of new technologies and social media, which are now the contemporary platforms for promoting works of art.
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