Opening reception: 17 July 2025, 5pm-9pm
17 July to 19 October
401 Riverside Dr. W, Windsor, ON
Distance is a collective exhibition co-curated by Dyana Ouvrard and Marc Audette that examines themes of solitude and contemplation while questioning proximity through the lens of the landscape. The works of three Franco-Ontarian artists – Lise Beaudry, Emilio Portal, and Samuel Choisy – demonstrate how distance, in all its forms, becomes both material and inquiry.
Beyond mere physical measurements, this distance encompasses emotional, cultural, and social separations. It inhabits the “in-between,” an interstice where absence and potentiality meet, an evolving space in the wake of post-pandemic horizons. The landscape, then, becomes a mirror reflecting our renewed ways of seeing, doing, and behaving in our contemporary, transformed world.
The artists’ practices offer three distinct perspectives on distance. Lise Beaudry unveils unspoken structures where subtle phenomena illuminate the complexity of our connections to the world and our histories. Emilio Portal transforms and engages distance as a sound space of wonder, evoking renewal. Meanwhile, Samuel Choisy examines the tension between presence and absence, shadow and light, exploring our intimate relationships with ourselves and others.This project, developed in collaboration with Le Labo, Toronto’s Francophone art centre, and supported by the Ontario Arts Council’s «Connexions visuelles» program, extends the reach of Franco-Ontarian artists into new communities, here in Windsor, Ontario.
About the artists
Lise Beaudry approaches to photography are used as a platform for experimentation. Her practice oscillates between archival subjects and reflections around landscapes which, among other things, illuminated her childhood. Her images create new and unexpected connections between the history of place and the lives of those who inhabit these territories. Originally from Earlton, a village in the Timiskaming district located in the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin, Anishnabai, Ojibwe, Cree, and Métis Peoples, Beaudry has exhibited her work across Canada and internationally, including the Rencontres internationales de la photographie (Arles), Grunt Gallery (Vancouver), Koffler Gallery (Toronto), the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the Art Gallery of Mississauga. She holds a BFA from Concordia University and an MFA from York University. Lise Beaudry (she/her) lives and works in Toronto|Tkaronto.
Emilio Portal, a transdisciplinary artist, views sound as more than just a vibrational pattern; he considers it an entity that exists for its own sake. He attributes unique properties to sound, giving it a life of its own. Portal’s work extends into the realm of the sensitive, where he perceives life in all aspects of nature, whether animate or inanimate. In his artistic practice, Portal elevates elements like sound, light, wood, and stone beyond their utilitarian roles. Drawing from his French-Irish-Peruvian heritage, Portal grounds his practice in ancestral knowledge systems while challenging colonial narratives. He has exhibited across Canada and holds a BFA from Laurentian University, a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design (Architecture) from Dalhousie University, and a certificate in Permaculture. Emilio Portal (he/they) lives and works in Sudbury.
Samuel Choisy captures a singular light that invites viewers on a journey into their inner world. Using camera obscura devices inspired by Renaissance painting in Venice, he often works in enclosed spaces, with small openings that let in light and create unexpected images. These become windows onto the outside world—landscapes that are familiar yet transformed. Thanks to these all sorts of machines, he creates opportunities to see the outside world in a different light. Through his creative process, Choisy turns everyday scenes into personal and poetic visions. Graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Nantes (France), he has exhibited in Europe, the United States, and Canada since 2007. Samuel Choisy (he/him) lives and works in Toronto|Tkaronto.
About the curators
Dyana Ouvrard and Marc Audette crossed paths in Toronto during the pandemic, united by a shared admiration for the forest, photography, and the act of walking—ultimately, by the distances traveled. Their collaboration reflects a deeply humanistic connection between a visual artist-curator and an emerging curator whose practices both center on exploring the world through art.
Marc Audette, participated in the creation of Le Labo, served as curator for Glendon Gallery from 2003 to 2014, shaping its exhibitions with a multidisciplinary approach. His current artistic practice spans photography, video, and installation, often investigating the intersection of technology and landscape.
Dyana Ouvrard, director of Le Labo since 2020, brings a fresh perspective to curatorial work. With a background deeply rooted in cultural work, her practice questions the relentless pace of artistic production, favoring slow processes, and collective research. Her approach, influenced by geography, examines space, place, and connection, both physical and metaphorical.
Together, they have crafted Distance as an exploration of separation and proximity, challenging our perceptions of landscapes and the human connections that traverse them.