Mathilde Rohr joined the Hearth team as the Cultural Connector in May of 2022 and with her wealth of curatorial and cultural knowledge, quickly shone in her role of connecting the community with the arts council. As of October, Mathilde will be heading to Gabriola Island for an artist residency.
Originally from France, she graduated from the Fine Arts department of Concordia University in Montreal in 2017. As an interdisciplinary artist and a cultural worker, her research gravitates around performance, movement-based practices, video, drawing, installation, printmaking and writing.
She has been involved in many collaborative and community art projects in public spaces and contemporary art venues, living nomadically in various places between France and Canada and throughout B.C., until moving to Bowen Island a few years ago.
A quote from her artist statement on her website en.mathilderohr.com gives you the essence of her lifelong research:
“Being part of a universe of interdependencies, I observe and question our relationships with the other - human, environment, nature, non-human - therefore with our relationship to ourselves. I enjoy challenging our behaviors tinged with capitalism to see our authentic and genuine, sometimes vulnerable, attitudes/nature blossom.”
“I create moments of ephemeral pauses, like chimerical bubbles in the real, where artistic experience arises from this encounter with the Other. My practice embraces interdisciplinarity without restriction of medium; however, performance allows me to ground myself in my body and reach states of embodied presence and consciousness in perpetual renewal.”
Fortunately for all, Mathilde was able to stay on with the Hearth beyond her original Summer contract with the help of funding from the Recovery and Resiliency Fund. During this time, Mathilde also conceived and curated two live painting events – Still Life in Motion. A dozen artists painted live for four hours from an inspirational installation of objects and then she installed the resulting exhibitions.
A very popular community art workshop also took place during these shows. Also memorable was the Diving In BC exhibition, and community workshop. During the Artist Party, Mathilde and Liz Nankin presented a performance art piece as undertakers for the ocean’s creatures.
As the next chapter unfolds, Mathilde, selected from a large number of applicants, will be participating in a self-directed two-month artist retreat on Gabriola Island, with opportunity for research and professional development. As part of the residency the artist is asked to present a gallery show, a performance piece, a reading, or an appropriate sharing of the body of work completed during the residency, to the Gabriola community.
In the new year, there will be an opportunity to study with Mathilde during the month of January when hers will be one of many creative and multi-disciplinary offerings when the Hearth becomes the Cultural Campus while the gallery is closed. Our amazing team of Volunteers, Board and Staff will be following Mathilde on her journey and wish her the very best in her creative pursuits.
“Mathilde has been a great asset to the Hearth Gallery bringing with her extensive curatorial experience, support for the operations of the Gallery, management of our volunteer hosts and so much more,” says Hearth executive director Jami Scheffer.
“Her bright and friendly disposition, eagerness to be creative and forward-thinking, ability to roll up her sleeves quickly and work effectively with the team. It has been a great pleasure to work alongside of Mathilde. We were a great team and learned so much from each other - she will be missed. We wish her every success in her next creative chapter in her life,” says Scheffer.
