Geneviève Cadieux facts for kids

Geneviève Cadieux CM RCA FRSC (born July 17, 1955) is a famous Canadian artist. She is known for creating very large art pieces using photos and videos. These artworks are often displayed in cities. Geneviève Cadieux lives in Montreal, Canada.

Becoming an Artist

Geneviève Cadieux was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1955. She studied art at the University of Ottawa. There, she earned a special degree in Visual Arts.

Sharing Her Knowledge

Geneviève Cadieux has also taught art to many students.

• She has taught at Concordia University since 1991.
• In 1994, she was a guest teacher at a famous art school in Paris, France.
• She also taught at an art school in Grenoble, France, in 1996.

Her Amazing Artworks

Geneviève Cadieux is a photographer who often uses video and sound in her art. She creates huge art pieces that you can see in public places. Her art often explores ideas about who we are and how we see our bodies. She zooms in on small details, like mouths, bruises, or scars. She makes these small parts of the body look like big landscapes.

Early Works and Film Photography

When she first started, Cadieux mostly used film photography. One of her early works from 1989 was called Hear Me With Your Eyes. It was shown at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery.

Adding Video and Sound

Later, Cadieux began to use video and sound in her art. One example is her piece called Broken Memory. For this artwork, she used glass sculptures that looked like parts of the human body. She also included a recording of a poem from the 1600s by Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz.

In 2002, one of Cadieux's video artworks was shown in a very special way. It was part of "The 59th Minute: Video Art on the Times Square Astrovision" in New York City. Every hour, for one minute, an art piece was shown on a giant screen in Times Square. Cadieux's video, called Portrait, showed a single tree. This tree had survived a big ice storm in Montreal in 1998. Her video celebrated new beginnings and the return of spring.

La Voie Lactée, 1992

La Voie lactée – An Icon

One of Cadieux's most famous artworks is La Voie lactée (which means "The Milky Way" in French). It's a huge photograph of a woman's red lips. This artwork was put on the roof of the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal in 1992. It has become a symbol of Montreal.

In 2011, a similar artwork was created for the Paris Metro in France. It was a gift from Montreal to Paris. This new piece, called La Voix lactée (meaning "The Milky Voice"), is a mosaic of the famous red lips. It also includes a poem by Anne Hébert. You can see it at the Saint-Lazare metro station in Paris. This artwork celebrates the French language that connects France and Quebec.

In 2019, Cadieux's artwork FLOW/FLOTS was shown at the Rideau station in Ottawa. This station is part of the city's train system, the O-Train.

Where Her Art Has Been Shown

Geneviève Cadieux's art has been displayed in many places around the world.

• Musée départemental d'art contemporain, France
• Museum Van Hadendaagse Kunst, Belgium
• The Montreal Biennial, Canada (1985, 1986, 2000)
• The São Paulo Biennial, Brazil (1987)
• The Sydney Biennial, Australia (1987 and 1990)
• The Venice Biennial, Italy (1990)
• Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (1993)
• Tate Gallery, London (1995)
• Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, United States (1996)
• Miami Art Museum, Florida (1998)
• Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2000)
• The 59th Minute: Video Art on the Times Square Astrovision, New York (2002)
• Geneviève Cadieux, Barcelone, National Gallery of Canada (2021)

Lierre sur pierre, 2009

Awards and Honors

Geneviève Cadieux has received many important awards for her art.

• 1994: Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award
• Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
• 2011: Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts
• 2014: Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
• 2018: Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas