Alexanne Dunn
Montreal, CanadaBiography
Alexanne Dunn is an emerging artist based in Quebec who is currently pursuing her master’s degree (with thesis) in Visual Arts at Laval University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Concordia University, with a major in Studio Arts and a minor in Psychology.
About the artwork
Alexanne Dunn’s current interests include the mining sites in her hometown—Thetford Mines. Besides working to unveil the physical, environmental and psychological scars left by this industry on the land and the local population, she explores the feeling of belonging she fosters toward her region’s iconic landscapes. This decor, which she deems both magnificent and familiar, is deeply rooted in her childhood memories and entertains a connection with play, family, comfort and security. Visually, the spectacle offered by the mining sites is lavish and impressive. The buildings falling into ruin remind us of the past, while their missing parts invite us to shape the future. The ruins conjure up human vulnerability while exposing vegetation that is slowly reclaiming its place over the land—a hybrid manifestation bridging the natural and man-made world.
This artist turns mainly to painting, sculpture and installations to grasp the mining landscape as it currently exists and create new fantastic spaces. Although her work is rooted in the real world, Alexanne navigates between figurative and abstract art. Her work opens the viewer onto a fictional world where pastels disguise the mine’s grey tones. The use of colour is paramount in her practice. When painting, she combines a rich variety of colours that revive memories of a carefree childhood.
Alexanne always starts with on-site research during which she explores the sites for hours on end in search of images and objects. Also, she is interested in the way man has shaped and continues to shape the land. In her paintings, she combines, scrapes and sculpts the material using brushes and spatulas. During the Anthropocene — the current geological state where human activity has left a permanent and irreversible impact on the environment — our perception of the landscape is irrevocably altered. Alexanne Dunn’s artistic work is neither vindictive nor critical. Rather, it seeks to unveil the paradoxical complexity of emotional and sensitive relationships between man and this overused natural world.
Photo credit : Guillaume Doucet
Artworks by the artist
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