Ingrid Tremblay

Madeleine
10.24–11.30.2019
Room 2

In a famous passage from his novel In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust(1) describes a scene where the narrator eats a madeleine, and is suddenly flooded with childhood memories. The act speaks of reminiscence: the idea that a memory from the past can rise out of a present sensation. Ingrid Tremblay’s exhibition madeleine—her first solo since her return from the United States—is inspired by past experiences, images, affect, sites, and memories that meet in the present and that she materializes as objects. At times, her creative process involves descriptive writing,(2) which she uses to build narratives around sensations, lived moments, or observations. Although not all of her works are conceived through this technique, Tremblay looks at the relationship between language, perception, and experience through a study of tales, myths, and stories. Much like memory and affect, her sculptures incorporate texture and movement, and are inviting to the touch. Through her use of various materials and processes, Tremblay produces a sensitive, sensorial experience.

In the gallery, the works are arranged on the floor, the walls, and on plinths, creating a relationship of scale between them and the viewer’s body. Some objects are larger-than-life, while others are miniaturized. Each chosen element reflects the labour behind the final object, whether it be repetitive gestures or the obvious handprints left in the materials she works with. Resting against the wall, Reaching the Top resembles a real tree branch, but is entirely carved out of a block of maple.  Indentations in the centre give the impression of a hand squeezing the wood as if it were raw clay. Her large-scale drawing Trace (2016), is a rubbing of a piece of petrified bark. The repetitive motion creates a sort of pattern with no beginning and no end. The traces left behind on the paper are echoed in her two embroidery pieces titled Moving On (2019). The time-consuming nature of their production reflects the value of women’s skills that have endured throughout history. Bump in the Carpet (2019) is also hand-made, but carved in marble, a material that has traditionally been associated with male artists. Here, Tremblay transforms it into an intricate work that references the art of weaving.

Each piece carries its own narrative that can be set in relation to others. Like the words we use to tell tales, each work is part of an inventory that allows the artist to create new iterations. And that’s just the beginning of the story.

– Manon Tourigny (translation : Jo-Anne Balcaen)

1. Specifically, the first volume, titled Swann’s Way. Six other volumes complete the series.

2. Based on the book Ordinary Affects, by Kathleen Stewart.

Ingrid Tremblay completed an MFA in Sculpture + Extended Media at The University of Texas at Austin in 2018. She additionally holds a BFA from Concordia University, and a Bachelor and Master of Speech-Language Pathology from Université de Montréal. In 2018-2019 she was an artist in residence and visiting faculty in the sculpture department at Virginia Commonwealth University. Tremblay also completed residencies at the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center (Vermont), Djerassi (California), Vermont Studio Center (Vermont), ACRE Project (Wisconsin), Terra Vivente Art Studio (Italy) and 59 Rivoli (Paris). Her work was recently shown at Sediment Arts (Richmond), Visual Art Center (Austin), GrayDuck Gallery (Austin), Slow Gallery (Chicago) and Lawndale Art Center (Houston).

The artist would like to thank for their support Centre CLARK and Atelier CLARK, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, The Carving Studio & Sculpture Center, Tom Kearns, VCUarts, Amy Hauft, Eric McMaster, Kathleen Stewart, Nicolas Bel, Rosa Nussbaum, Jean-Michel Leclerc and Madeleine Tremblay.