Raymonde April (born 23 June 1953) is a Canadian

contemporary artist Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

, photographer and academic. April lives in Montreal where she teaches photography at

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

. 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.

Life and work

April was born in

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, New Brunswick and raised in

Rivière-du-Loup Rivière-du-Loup (; 2021 population 20,118) is a small city on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The city is the seat for the Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality and the judicial district of Kamouraska. Its one of ...

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 Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montmo ...

, in Québec. April is known for her photography and academics. 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. Her work is in the permanent collection of the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

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,

. She had solo exhibitions as well at the

Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) is a contemporary art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Place des festivals in the Quartier des spectacles and is part of the Place des Arts complex. Founded in 1964, it is ...

(1986), and the Musée d'art de Joliette (1997). She showed again at the Mois de la Photo à Montréal in 2011, this time her self-portraits. In 2022, ''Traversée'' (151 photographs by April), was shown at 1700 La Poste art center, Montreal.

Awards

*2003:

Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas The Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec, given to individuals who are artists or craftsman in the fields of visual arts, of the trades of art, architecture and the design. It is na ...

award. *2005: Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Art Photography from the

Ontario Arts Foundation The Ontario Arts Foundation is a non-governmental not for profit organization established in 1991 under the Ontario Corporations Act to encourage and facilitate private giving to the arts in Ontario, Canada. The group is distinct from the Ontario ...

. *2010: Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

for having "made a significant contribution to the evolution of photography in Canada".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:April, Raymonde 1953 births Artists from New Brunswick Artists from Quebec Canadian photographers Concordia University faculty Living people Officers of the Order of Canada People from Moncton People from Rivière-du-Loup Canadian women photographers Université Laval alumni