Michèle Pearson Clarke facts for kids

Michèle Pearson Clarke (born February 16, 1973) is a talented filmmaker and photographer. She was born in Trinidad and now lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Early Life and Education

Michèle Pearson Clarke was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. She moved to Canada and studied at several universities. She attended Queen's University and the University of Toronto. Later, she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Ryerson University in 2015.

Michèle Clarke's Creative Work

Michèle Pearson Clarke is known for her thought-provoking films and photography. Her art often explores important ideas about identity and community.

Early Films

Her first film was called Surrounded by Water. She made this film with help from the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto. Her second film, Black Men and Me, was shown at the 2007 Inside Out Film and Video Festival. This film looked at her ideas about Black masculinity. It was also featured at other festivals, like the Reel World Film Festival. Clarke has also written for a book called Bent on Writing: An Anthology of Queer Tales.

Photography Projects

In 2013, Michèle started a special photo project. It was called "It’s Good To Be Needed." For this series, she photographed former partners who were still friends. They held hands in the pictures, showing their lasting connection.

Video Installations

In 2016, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery asked her to create a video artwork. This project was called "I’m Thinking of Ending Things." It was a two-screen video installation. The artwork honored 150 years of Oshawa's manufacturing history. It shared personal stories from people who had lost their jobs.

Her video piece, "Suck Teeth Compositions (After Rashaad Newsome)", was part of a big art show. This exhibition was called Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art. It was shown at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2018. In the same year, her work was also featured at the LagosPhoto Festival.

Exhibitions and Themes

In 2018, Clarke had an exhibition in Toronto called A Welcome Weight on My Body. In this show, she explored how film can be used in photography. She created still images of her Caribbean Canadian friends and family. She felt these groups were often missing or not shown well in art history. Her photos were displayed in a unique, scrapbook-like way. They were arranged in groups on shelves and in frames. This style made the art feel more personal and approachable. It explored the cultural importance of Black identity.

Also in 2018, Clarke showed her video "All That Is Left Unsaid" in Los Angeles. For this video, she edited together all the silent moments from a documentary about Audre Lorde.