Since 1996, Pascale Girardin has seamlessly blended the worlds of ceramics, visual arts, and design, infusing her unique vision into her visual art practice and architectural installations. Inspired by the expression of pure forms, her art subtly emphasizes our fundamental relationship with the natural world. Whether suspended, adorning a wall, or floating in water, her works evoke the omnipresence and organic structure of nature.
Originally trained as a painter, Pascale Girardin’s passion for art and science led her to pursue studies in biology at the Université de Montréal, design with a Certificate in Digital Technologies from Concordia University, ceramics at the Centre de Céramique Bonsecours, and visual arts, earning a BFA from Concordia University and completing her Maîtrise ès Arts at the Université du Québec à Montréal to further enhance her ability to conduct thoughtful research and continue to enrich her work.
Girardin’s approach to her art requires not only a sense of aesthetics but also an understanding of science and chemistry, resulting in the versatility seen in both the “Obscuro” and “Poeme” series. However, she brings another dimension to her practice: that of an emotional and relational dialogue with the material. Her respect and attentiveness towards clay elicit a response, and her work is characterized by an openness to the unexpected outcomes.
“Curiosity has always been a driving force in my life as it opens doors to the unknown. Biology, art, and design rely on this common principle. I think that experiencing a state of uncertainty and a willingness to explore the unknown shifts that take place when you are fully present in the process” says Pascale Girardin.
Her work has been featured in various exhibitions and installations, including the Figura collection, which comprises sculptures that are intuitive formal explorations based on the notion of presence and belonging.
Visit Pascale Girardin’s website (atelier) and Instagram page.
Featured work
Figura series, 2020-2023
Le Geste exhibition, 2018
Obscuro and Problematic Pink, 2019
If we consider its plasticity, slow-drying time, numerous firing cycles, and surface treatments, ceramic practice is conducive to the emergence of a poietic approach which—in the contemporary sense of the term—can be understood as a study of the creative process which involves chance, speculation, the influence of one’s surroundings and the choice of materials and techniques. As a result, each phase of transformation is subject to clay’s contingencies and presents a potential divergence between the initial intention and the final outcome. From its wet state to its vitrification—working with clay requires constant monitoring of the changes that take place on it. In this way, I view art in the making as both a theoretical mindset and a formal study, with its conceptual underpinnings intimately linked to the strategies employed for its realization. My research in ceramics is a continuum – a series of encounters rather than a finality where meaning emerges. In many ways, my commissioned artworks for interior design projects are informed by my research in visual arts, intuitively responding to the built environment and the design team’s vision.
