Gemma Stevens (b. 1997, she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who works primarily with photography, ceramics and fibres. Working and residing in Montreal (Tio’tia:ke), she is currently leisurely completing her BFA with a major in photography at Concordia University. Gemma’s interest lies in exploring our physical and psychological relationships with natural spaces and organisms; she uses her artistic practice to investigate and represent the many ways in which the human experience is intrinsically connected to the natural world.
CV
Gemma Stevens
1997, Montréal, QC, Canada
gemma.m.stevens@gmail.com
gemmamstevens.com
Group Exhibitons
2025/ manifesting gardens, FOFA Gallery, Montreal, CA.
2024/ Animations Alchimiques, 1001 Patentes, Val-David, CA.
2024/ Fleeting Fixities, Galerie 2112, Montreal, CA.
2024/ Commencement, VAV Gallery, Montreal, CA.
2023/Alchemical Practices, 4thSpace, Montreal, CA.
2023/ Renewal, Loüable, Montreal, CA.
2023/ Emerge, Galerie 2112, Montreal, CA.
2022/ Belonging Hinterland, Ada X, Montreal, CA.
2020/ Room, Galerie Luz, Montreal, CA.
2017/ Lumiere, Dawson College, Montreal, CA.
2016/ Luma, Warren G Flowers Art Gallery, Montreal, CA.
2016/ The Colour of Desire, Loft 314, Montreal, CA.
Education
2017-2024/ BFA, Major in Photography, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
2014- 2017/ DEC, Professional Photography, Dawson College, Montreal, Canada
Residency
2021/ VAV gallery Online Residency
2021/ VAV gallery online Residency artist talk
Awards
2020-2021/ Earl Pinchuk & Gary Blair Award, Concordia University
2017-2018/ Shuffle Entrance Award, FOFA, Concordia University
2017/ Photo Service Award of Excellence
Artist Statement
My artistic practice is grounded in the idea that humans and nature are intrinsically linked, and that the human lifecycle echoes that of the ecosystems which sustain us. This understanding informs my multidisciplinary approach to art, which draws from the beauty and diversity of the natural world, as well as the patterns and structures found within it.
Through the tactile mediums of ceramic and fibre sculpture, as well as the representational medium of photography, I replicate and represent natural forms and textures, turning to the landscape as a source of inspiration and admiration. This interest in biomimicry, which has been explored by many artists before me, allows me to create works that reflect the complexity and beauty of nature while also reflecting on how much of the human experience can be reflected in and embodied by the natural world. Through these reflections, and through the exploration of both physical and psychological responses to nature, I seek to foster a sense of intimacy and connection with the natural world, engaging memory and evoking recognition and emotion in viewers.
By using ceramics, fibres, and photography to recreate and represent the beauty of nature, I hope to prompt viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the natural world, and to deepen our collective understanding of the importance of our connection to our environment.