Claire Girodie explores the unspoken, the ignored, and the power of silence. She forces the viewer’s attention, tricking him in a seemingly pleasantness, toward a perhaps more disturbing content.
From figurative paintings to abstract drawings or installations, Girodie carefully chooses mediums for their emotional, historical and cultural values or the implied meanings of their physical properties - reminiscence of both her youth in Europe and her strong interest for the sciences.
Claire Girodie's work has been extensively exhibited on the East Coast, in Illinois, Texas, New Mexico, and Scotland. She received her M.F.A. in Studio Arts, and her B.A. in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking form Towson University, MD, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Girodie was awarded with the Towson University Terminal Degree Fellowship, the National Wet Paint MFA Biennial 2014 Excellence Award, and the Maryland Federation of Arts Fiber Options Merit Award. Her work was commissioned for the CyberPoint International's Women in Cyber Security event in 2014.
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"I am fascinated by the power of silence, and how a simple mark, like a slightly longer pause or a single gesture, can reveal more than loudness. The sometimes almost unnoticeable mark works as a witness of time, tells a story, exposes a truth to who can look.
Abstract or figurative, my work is therefore visually quiet - a layering of subtle informations translating a humble story, unreadable yet familiar.
The medium and the process become important for their implied narrative. When working with thread, I carry on the long tradition of women hiding their most intimate thoughts into their loom or needle work. When working with paper, I reproduce the mechanism of time, making marks, waiting for a reaction, answering to it, covering it, transforming it, interpreting it. The original mark stays, unnoticed yet unbelievably important. When using shadows, I give my work a subtle vital breath.
I, above all, want to create an unexpected experience from the loud resonance of silence." Claire Girodie
© Claire Girodie - cgirodie@gmail.com - clairegirodie.com