Raymonde April
{{Short description|Canadian photographer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Raymonde April
|image = Raymonde April.jpg
|alt =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|06|23|df=y}}
|birth_place = Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
|death_date =
|death_place =
|other_names =
|known_for = Contemporary artist and photographer
|awards = Officer of the Order of Canada, Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas
|occupation = Photographer/ chair of studio arts at concordia university/ teacher
|nationality =
}}
Raymonde April {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|size=100%}} (born 23 June 1953) is a Canadian contemporary artist, photographer and academic. April lives in Montreal where she teaches photography at Concordia University. Her work has been shown regularly in museums and galleries in Canada and Europe. Her photographs have also been featured in various publications and awarded the Prix du Québec.{{Cite news|url=http://cppsonline.com/portfolios/rayonde-april/bio.php|title=Raymonde April|work=Canadian Photographic Portfolio Society}}
Life and work
April was born in Moncton, New Brunswick and raised in Rivière-du-Loup in Eastern Quebec. She studied at several universities, specifically for art. She attended the art college in Rivière-du-Loup and the École des arts visuels of the Université Laval, in Québec.
April is known for her photography and academics.{{cite web|last1=Zebrowski-rubin|first1=Stefan|title=Raymonde April times four, in Montreal|url=http://www.theartblog.org/2010/01/raymonde-april-times-four-in-montreal/|website=Artblog|date=25 January 2010 |accessdate=24 December 2015}} She has been a photographer since the 1970s. She attended and taught photography at Condordia University since 1985. She also helped open La Chambre Blanche, a facility for artists in Québec.
April explores narrative through her photography. Her extensive series depict everyday life, transforming the average experiences into tremendous images. They include typical photographic tropes, like portraits and landscapes. Eduardo Ralickas argues April's work is articulated around a scene between near and far, appearance and disappearance, making distance a key factor in mapping the territory of the symbolic and the imaginary.{{cite journal|last1=Ralickas|first1=Eduardo|title=he Many Equivalences of Raymonde April|journal=Canadian Art|date=4 February 2010|issn=0825-3854}} Her work is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada{{cite web |title=Raymonde April |url=https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artist/raymonde-april |website=www.gallery.ca |publisher=National Gallery of Canada |access-date=7 November 2022}} and in many other collections.
Exhibitions
In 1991, she had a solo show Raymonde April: embrace everything (presented as part of the Mois de la Photo à Montréal), at the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University. She had solo exhibitions as well at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (1986), and the Musée d'art de Joliette (1997).{{cite web |title=Raymonde April c.v. |url=http://www.centrevox.ca/fd/cv/april_r.html |website=www.centrevox.ca |publisher=VOX |access-date=7 November 2022}} She showed again at the Mois de la Photo à Montréal in 2011, this time her self-portraits.{{cite web |title=Raymonde April |url=https://moisdelaphoto.com/en/artistes/raymonde-april/ |website=moisdelaphoto.com |publisher=Mois de la photo |access-date=7 November 2022}} In 2022, Traversée (151 photographs by April), was shown at 1700 La Poste art center, Montreal.{{cite news |last1=Clement |first1=Eric |title=Between life and art |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/arts/arts-visuels/2022-10-08/raymonde-april-au-1700-la-poste/entre-la-vie-et-l-art.php |access-date=7 November 2022 |publisher=La Press |date=Oct 8, 2022}}
Awards
- 2003: Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas award.{{cite web|url=http://www.prixduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/recherche/desclaureat.php?noLaureat=289|title=Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas citation|language=French|work=Prix du Quebec|date=17 November 2003 }}
- 2005: Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Art Photography from the Ontario Arts Foundation.{{cite web|title=Faculty Biography|url=https://www.concordia.ca/finearts/studio-arts/faculty.html?fpid=raymonde-april#IDX_BIOGRAPHY|website=Department of Studio Arts|publisher=Concordia University|accessdate=24 December 2015}}{{cite web|title=Ontario Arts Foundation – Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Awards|url=http://www.ontarioartsfoundation.on.ca/pages/paul-de-hueck-and-norman-walford-awards|accessdate=21 May 2015}}
- 2010: Officer of the Order of Canada for having "made a significant contribution to the evolution of photography in Canada".{{cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=10635&t=12&ln=April|title=Order of Canada citation|date=11 June 2018 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Artists from New Brunswick
Category:Canadian photographers
Category:Academic staff of Concordia University
Category:Officers of the Order of Canada
Category:People from Rivière-du-Loup