The Intrinsic Need to Create

Video
Lyse Lemieux

Lyse Lemieux’s interview (in French) with Radio-Canada (CBC) is available online from April 21, 2023. 

In her Vancouver studio, Lemieux talks about her interdisciplinary practice, including painting, sculpture, installation, and public art. Having worked in this studio for thirty-six years, she finds inspiration and freedom here. The space is filled with the artist’s canvases, brushes, and tools; all brilliantly captured in the video interview. Lemieux is in the studio nine hours a day, six days a week, driven by a burning desire to create art. The interview also reveals her childhood and upbringing in Ottawa, where she often rode the bus alone to visit the National Gallery of Canada. The artist also recalls planning performances for her brothers at home, with elaborate costume and stage sets, which eventually led to her interdisciplinary practice, as well as highlighting the emotional connection between art and the environment in her work. Today, Lemieux’s work can be found across Canada and around the world. She now has a gallery representing her in Taiwan.