Anchored in Place /
Elise Lavallee Findlay
4.17.23
- 5.8.23
01 - Exhibition Statement
Anchored in Place examines how connections to place are formed, how memories shape these connections, and how some places are profoundly intertwined with who we are. While relying on deeply personal memories, the series is also an attempt to understand my relationship to place and desire to depict in my artistic practice the land I inhabit as a primarily settler-Canadian and the tensions that come with this desire. Each canvas represents an ‘anchor point,’ or physical space in the landscape that sparks memories, pulling us back, connecting past and present. And while each piece reflects the felt nature of memories and the embodied experience of walking through the landscapes of one’s childhood, they also offer connection; like looking through another’s photo album, and recognizing in it, one’s own past.
02 - Artist Statement
Elise Lavallee Findlay is a visual artist based in Banff, Alberta. Having grown up in the mountains, she developed a deep love of her home landscape which is a central theme and inspiration in her art. Through her work Elise explores the complexities of place and how humans interact, navigate, and experience the natural world. It is this interaction, along with memory, that Elise uses to build and layer her depictions of place, employing a variety of media. Graduating from AUArts in the Spring of 2023, Elise plans to pursue a Master of Fine Art and to establish her studio in Banff, to continue to explore the dramatic and inspiring landscapes we inhabit.
