
painting men in suits, drawing pain in thoughts
Louise Campion is a French artist who lives and works between Glasgow (UK), Montreal (Tiohtià:ke – Mooniyang; Canada) and Paris (France). She holds a BFA (with distinction) in Studio Arts from Concordia University (Montreal) and just completed her MFA (with distinction) at the Glasgow School of Art, for which she was awarded The Ranald and Jennifer May Postgraduate Painting Scholarship.
Primarily interested in painting and drawing, Campion’s practice focuses on the exploration of awareness and emotional survival within a context of global violence. She is currently working on two separate ongoing projects: The attractive value of greed (also called Wondering if men in suits turn me on or piss me off), a series of oil paintings examining the worshipped aesthetics of the Western corporate world and its singular vision of reality, focusing on the depiction of power and charisma through the body language of the figures. And The human head is really heavy, a series of red ink drawings on handmade paper in recycled fibres, more intuitive and naive, in which she explores her personal thoughts and feelings towards the ecosystem she navigates.
Extremely mindful of her environmental impact, Louise adopted a couple of methods over the years to lower it to a minimum. She learned to build her canvases, hand-make her own paper (from recycled bed sheets here for example), to mix her own paint using traditional techniques (oil, egg tempera, water-colour), recycle her solvent -inter alia.
Campion has exhibited works internationally, in galleries such as the Fofa Gallery (Montreal), WASPS South Block Gallery (Glasgow) or The Untitled Space (NYC, USA). She was part of notable art initiatives such as Artch-Emerging Contemporary Art, Art Souterrain Festival, the International Festival of Films on Art (Montreal) amongst others. She maintains a studio practice through grants and residencies, which she pairs with research jobs, stimulating projects, curation and writing. She recently organized exhibitions at the New Glasgow Society and the Haberdashery (Glasgow), and published essays for ISSAY magazine (Calgary, Ca).
CV
Selected Solo & Duo Exhibitions
2023 (cancelled) Georges Vanier Cultural Center, Montreal, Ca
2022 Human Nature (with Emily Comeau), Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, Dawson College, Montreal, Ca
2020 Exploring the notions of the gaze with Louise Campion (Online), Curated by Margot Chambon
2018 La Banalité du Mal (with Louise Laborie), Salle Vasse, Nantes, Fr
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 (ongoing) MassivArt x Royal Mount, Montreal, Ca
2024 Graduate Showcase, The Glue Factory, Glasgow, UK
2024 Salon des Inclusions, Annex Gallery, Glasgow, UK
2024 Do you know who I am?!, South Block Gallery, Glasgow, UK
2023 HFBK x GSA, Hochschule für bildende Künste, Hamburg, DE
2023 GSA x HFBK, The Glue Factory, Glasgow, UK
2023 Dialogues on Solitudes, GSA CPCA, Barnes, Glasgow School of Art, UK
2023 SWATCHED x Blush, The Pipe Factory, Glasgow, UK
2023 L'art est au 3ème, Granby, Ca
2023 MFA Interim Show, Reid Gallery, Glasgow School of Art, UK
2023 Weird Era Group Show, Anteism Books Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2023 Screw it, Do Something n.2, Barnes Garage, Glasgow School of Art, UK
2022 Normes de la femme qui veut mordre dans son pain, Espace Sensible, Artch x Le LOBE, Chicoutimi, Ca
2022 in (Vested) Interest, Curated by GSA MLitt Curatorial Practice, Window on the Mack, Glasgow, UK
2022 True Stories, The Untitled Space, New York, USA
2022 Art Cible, Atelier Galerie 2112, Montreal, Ca
2021 Les Liens Futurs, Art Souterrain Festival, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Ca
2021 Shape, Sequence, Story, Somewhere Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2021 L’ailleurs est ici, Moroccan Cultural Center Dar Al maghrib, Vues d'Afrique Festival, Montreal, Ca
2021 Connecting Creative Youth Through the Arts, (Online) YES Montreal, Ca
2020 Ribboned Rainbow, Jano Lapin Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2020 ARTCH Emerging Art Market, Dorchester Square, Montreal, Ca
2020 Looking Forward to, (Online) Anton Art Center, Mount Clemens, USA
2019 Site of the Not Yet, Peripheral Hours, Montreal, Ca
2019 Graduating Students Exhibition, FOFA Gallery, Montreal, Ca
Residencies, Fairs & Programs
2023 Parle-moi d'amour, Les Impatients Benefit Auction, Diane Dufresne Art Center, Repentigny, Ca
2022 Jano Lapin x Desjardins Artist Residency, Jano Lapin Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2021 FIFA International Festival of Films on Art, Benefit Auction, BYDealers Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2021 Créer des ponts Artist Residency, Art Souterrain Festival, Montreal, Ca
2021 Pour des peanuts, Online Auction, Montreal, Ca
2021 Connecting Creative Youth through the Arts, YES Montreal with the support of the Government of Canada, Montreal, Ca
2020 FIFA International Festival of Films on Art, Benefit Auction, BYDealers Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2020 Les Encans de la Quarantaine, Online Auction, Montreal, Ca
2020 ARTCH Emerging Art Market by Art Souterrain, the CAM and CJE Centre-ville, Montreal, Ca
2018 Art Auction Fundraiser, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2018 Brushes with cancer 2018, Twist out cancer, Rialto Theatre, Montreal, Ca
Teaching, Talks and Panels
2022 Installation Workshop, Curatorial Incubator, Dawson College Visual Arts Department x Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, Montreal, Ca
talk
2022 Artist Talk, Curatorial Incubator, Dawson College Visual Arts Department x Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2021 Discussion Panel, La dualité entre l'art, l'artisan et l'artisanat, Art Souterrain Festival, Montreal, Ca
2021 Workshop, Tips and tricks for an ecological and economical painting practice, Art Souterrain Festival, Montreal, Ca
2020-2021 Mentor, Fine Arts Student Alliance mentorship program, Concordia University, Montreal, Ca
2020 Discussion Panel, La sensibilité de la matière, Les Encans de la quarantaine, Montreal, Ca
2018 Art teacher/Animator for Sheltoons, Socrates-Demosthenes III School, Montreal, Ca
Awards & Grants
2024 Acquisition and marketing in visual arts grant, Arts and Letters Council of Quebec, Ca
2024 Student Initiated Project Fund, in collaboration with Blake Ballard, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK
2023 Student Initiated Project Fund, in collaboration with Blake Ballard, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK
2023 Student Initiated Project Fund, on behalf of my MFA cohort, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK
2022-2024 The Ranald and Jennifer May Postgraduate Painting Scholarship, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK
2020 ARTCH Production grant, from Art Souterrain, the CJE centre-ville and the CAM, Montreal, Ca
2018 Winner, Postcard design competition, VAV Gallery, Montreal, Ca
2018 Individual Special Project Grant, Fine Arts Student Alliance, Concordia University, Montreal, Ca
Curatorial Experience
2024 Curator, SWATCHED x Sterling, The Haberdashery Gallery, Glasgow, UK
2024 Curator, SWATCHED x Cool, New Glasgow Society, Glasgow, UK
2023 Gallery Technician Assistant, Reid Gallery, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK
2023 Curator, SWATCHED x Blush, The Pipe Factory, Glasgow, UK
2021 Curator, I'm fucking vegetarian!!!, Bifteck Bar Saint Laurent, Montreal, Ca
2019 Curator, How you remember, Eastern Bloc, Montreal, Ca
2019 Curator, Look what you made me do, Espace 8, Art Matters Festival, Montreal, Ca
2017-2019 Juror, Special Project Grants, Fine Arts Student Alliance, Concordia University, Montreal, Ca
2016 Volunteer, Biennale d’art contemporain de Montreal, Ca
Related Experience
2025- (ongoing) Clerk, Visual Art Centre, Westmount, Ca
2022-2023 Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Group member, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK
2020-2022 Long term programming committee member, Articule, Montreal, Ca
2020-2022 Writers' club member, Articule, Montreal, Ca
2018-2019 Elected outreach coordinator, Fine Arts Student Alliance, Concordia University, Montreal, Ca
2015 Painter assistant, Frédérique Bertin, Paris, Fr
Education
2022-2024 Master of Fine Arts with Distinction , Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK
2016-2019 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with Distinction, Concordia University, Montreal, Ca
Fall 2015 Art History and Archeology Licence as independent candidate, Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Paris, Fr
2014-2015 1st year Undergraduate Student, National Superior Fine Arts School of Lyon, Fr
2013-2014 Preparatory class in Fine Arts, Prép’art, Paris, Fr
2013 French Baccalauréat in Literature with Honours, English Specialty & Plastic Arts Option, Le Bon Sauveur, Le Vésinet, Fr
Online Representation
2023 Ambre Thiry, Paris, Fr
https://ambrethiry.cargo.site/
Publications
2024 (upcoming) Catalogue of Failures, Issue 7
2024 (upcoming) Glasgow Starving Artist Guide, in collaboration with GSA Sustainability and SoFA, UK
2024 Graduate Showcase Catalogue, Glasgow School of Art, UK
2024 "Writings on painting: The Manner of Time" (with Chloë Lalonde), ISSAY! Magazine, Calgary, Ca
2023 "Writings on painting: Slow painting as resistance" (with Chloë Lalonde), ISSAY! Magazine, Calgary, Ca
2023 The Wide Open Issue, LBRNTH Anthologies, Montreal, Ca
2023 MFA Interim Show publication, Reid Gallery, Glasgow School of Art, UK
2023 Outlander Magazine, iO8 Strawberry, Cover illustration "The human head is really heavy n.23 "
2022 Weird Era Vol. 2, LSHB's Weird Era, Montreal, Ca
2020 "Dynamics 8", JPEG Vol. 1, E-book 2020, Art Cible, Montreal, Ca
2020 "Réfugiés", L'Organe, 19 ("Périple"), Montreal, Ca
2019 FASA's Broke Students Handbook, Fine Arts Student Alliance, Concordia University, Montreal, Ca
Selected Press
2024 "Interview with Louise Campion", Formation Art, London, UK
2024 Agnes Sharp, "The Degree Show review, MFA", The Skinny, Glasgow, UK
2024 Susan Mansfield, "GSA Degree Show 'has to be seen, heard, touched and even occasionally smelled'", The Scotsman, Glasgow, UK
2024 Art on show, The Scotsman, The Herald, UK
2021 Malaika Astorga, "Louise Campion Challenges Corporate Power Dynamics With Her Colourful Paintings", Also Cool Magazine, Montreal, Ca
2020 JP Karwacki, "A free outdoor open-air art gallery pop-up is setting up in a dowtown park", Time Out, Montreal, Ca
2020 Daniela Zamora, "Suits and Poses of Corporate Dominance: Interview with Louise Campion", RICE Initiative Magazine, 1. Barcelona, Spain
2020 Stephanie Sokol, "Anton's worldwide "Looking Forward" Covid-19 exhibit goes live online", The Oakland Press, MI, USA
2019 Chloë Lalonde, "Featured Concordia Artist: Louise Campion", The Concordian, 36.24, Montreal, Ca