Rebecca Clouâtre
Rebecca Clouâtre is a hand-cut paper collage artist based in Ottawa, Canada. In 2015 she received a Masters degree in Art History from Carleton University, with a concentration in Art Exhibition and Curatorial Studies. After a brief career in historical research and curatorial work, she is now a full-time artist and mother. In 2020, CBC Arts released a Paper Cuts documentary film about Clouâtre and her artistic process. In 2019 she received the Best Photo-Based Work Award, presented by the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa, at the annual New Art Festival in Ottawa. Her collages have been exhibited in Canada, the U.S.A. and Australia. In April 2023, WKP Kennedy Gallery in North Bay, Ontario (her hometown) will host Clouâtre's first major solo exhibition.
Through her work, Clouâtre aims to encourage viewers to contemplate the intricacies of nature and our complex relationships with the environment. The importance of human connection and a focus on a holistic world view frequently influence her creative process. Her collages amalgamate a variety of imagery, including vintage photographs and pictures from the natural world. Clouâtre finds inspiration from an array of sources such as natural history illustration from the 1800s, Surrealism and illuminated manuscripts, and creates playful, whimsical scenes that invite viewers into her built dreamscapes. Recently, Clouâtre has been exploring themes of contemporary feminism, womanhood, and motherhood. She is also interested in climate change and how humans can make a difference ecologically. With the intention of bringing attention to and recycling forgotten tangible material, most of Clouâtre’s imagery is sourced from a variety of paper-based paraphernalia that have been scavenged from used bookstores, yard sales and thrift shops. It is important to Clouâtre that her materials are as ecologically-friendly and non-toxic as possible, which is why she prefers to use acid-free adhesive. Clouâtre believes in the necessity of breathing new life into imagery that has otherwise been discarded, and providing new and surprising contexts and juxtapositions.
