Feature Friday - Gabrielle Lacoste
Name
Gabrielle Lacoste
Pronouns
she/her
Bio
I am a Chilean/Belgian visual artist. Born in Zimbabwe, I moved to Santiago, Chile at the age of 3 and stayed till 19 years old. I then moved to France to study art, where I lived 1 year in Paris and 3 in Nantes. I got my undergraduate from Nantes' School of Fine Arts, which included a semester exchange at Bergen's Academy of Art and Design in Norway. Currently living in Montreal since October 2022, I am in my third year of my MFA in Fibres and Material Practices at the University of Concordia.
I am also part of The Table Collective, with whom we build participatory art events around tables as gathering spaces and sites for exploring the host-guest relationship. Composed of six Concordia MFA in Studio Arts candidates, Po B. K. Lomami, Emilie Kvist, annik st-arnaud, Nico Crozier, Laurence Poirier and myself. We have performed at Kaktus Gallery in Akureyri, Iceland in June 2024 and in the MFA Gallery located in Concordia's VA building in Montreal in March 2025.
Instagram
@gabrielle.lacoste
Website
gabriellelacoste.com
Where in Montreal are you located?
I live in the Plateau Mont Royal, very close to my favorite street: Duluth. And work in my Concordia studio in the VA building.
What do you love about your neighborhood?
Mostly the tiny things that make it so comforting: my trusty dep, Lola the dog, Cashew the cat, the musicians on Duluth in the summer, cheap groceries at Segals, tiny but full of life ruelles and most of all my friends and neighbours.
What’s your favourite art space in Montreal and why?
The galleries and studios on Ave de Gaspé.
Describe your art practice in your own words.
Through textile processes including weaving, knitting, spinning, embroidery and sewing, my work materially translates shared cultural philosophies of making as an act of resistance. This approach is deeply rooted in my Chilean identity and my relationship to political textile arts.
The recent loss of my Chilean legal status has fueled a deep questioning regarding my sense of belonging and my relationship to my Belgian heritage. This has oriented my research towards theories of cultural identity and how the system of citizenship was created by and reproduces patterns of colonization, racial capitalism and imperialism. On a more personal level, it has led me to explore relationships as fundamental blocks of belonging.
I consider my work to be a tool, it is not only focused on the outcome and the message it carries, but also what happens during the making. I use repetitive and labour-intensive techniques to create a physical and mental space for reflection. Every stitch is charged with the energy of the mechanical movements that weave the body and mind together in meditation. Through this process I create installations that invite viewers to ask questions with me.
What mediums do you work with?
I have dabbled in many mediums such as photography, performance, and screenprinting but I always seem to go back to textile practices. These might be analog or jacquard weaving, tapestry, knitting, spinning, embroidery or sewing, I'm interested in time consuming mediums that give me a space of reflexion while making. I am currently trying to make my practice as much environmentally respectful as possible, which is why I have started to spin recycled fabric into yarn for my current tapestry works. Working in textiles, I think it is important to consider the environmental impact that the fast fashion industry and mass production of clothing have. There is already so much textiles on the planet, my objective is to reuse as much as I can of it and to do what I can to avoid buying new materials.
Describe your current project.
I have currently been doing research towards theories of cultural identity and how the system of citizenship was created by and reproduces patterns of colonization, racial capitalism and imperialism. Which as lead me to question: why do state issued identification documents from Chile, or the lack of it, hold so much power over me?
What started as a wish to create what the Chilean state will never give me, an ID card, ended up turning into a critique of the object itself, the system it represents and my troubled relationship to it.
With a wry approach, recycled fabric, and the time-intensive techniques of spinning and tapestry weaving, I meditate on citizenship and power relations, as I create a modular version of an ID card, always evolving to accentuate its absurdity.
On top of that I have been very interested in Glitch Theory and the concept of glitch as a metaphor, as an error, or more specifically as a reaction created by (and that makes visible) an error in the system. I have been exploring aspects of glitch in my work both conceptually, through my research and visually, through tapestry. With this project I aim to explore this metaphor to, as glitches would do, bring to light the errors/problems in current citizenship systems.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Most of my work is around sociopolitical issues that I hold close to me, I have to say one of my biggest inspirations is the frustration of feeling impotent in such a tense time in the world. I am also surrounded by by incredibly talented and smart creators that are really inspiring.
Describe your creative process.
I would say it's a mix of having ideas, research, reading, mental breakdowns, conversations with other artist, and long hours in the studio. Most of the time the idea I have at the beginning of a project evolves during the creative process and ends up being something completely different.
What led you to pursue visual art?
I've always found comfort in creating, ever since I was a little kid. It was honestly a no brainer for me, and thankfully I am very lucky to have really supportive family and friends.
Is there any medium you don’t currently work with, but would like to explore?
I'd like to dive into 3D more, either with ceramics, metal of glass.
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