Lyse Lemieux,Crise J 1, 2011, ink, acrylic, and gouache on paper. SFU Art Collection. Gift of Ken and Lorraine Stephens, 2023. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography
Lyse Lemieux, Crise M 1, 2010, ink, acrylic, and gouache on paper. SFU Art Collection. Gift of the Artist, 2023. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography
Lyse Lemieux, Crise M 2, 2010, ink, acrylic, and gouache on paper. SFU Art Collection. Gift of the Artist, 2023. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography
Lyse Lemieux, Crise M 3, 2010, ink, acrylic, and gouache on paper. SFU Art Collection. Purchase, 2023. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography
Lyse Lemieux, Crise M 4, 2010, ink, acrylic, and gouache on paper. SFU Art Collection. Gift of the Artist, 2023. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography
Lyse Lemieux, Crise M 5, 2010, ink, acrylic, and gouache on paper. SFU Art Collection. Gift of the Artist, 2023. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography
Lyse Lemieux’s practice is often described as investigating the spaces between drawing and painting, representation and abstraction. She creates works that range from expansive, site-specific installations to intimate drawings and paintings. The series Crise, translating to Crisis in English, reflects upon a period in which Lemieux witnessed a prolonged event of personal turmoil at close proximity. The Crise series’ abstracted figures offer a meditation on psychological anguish. Mouths—whether gaping and spouting sound or stitched closed and silenced—are a focus across these works on paper, demonstrating Lemieux's characteristic repetitive process and formidable command of line in her exploration of the human form and psyche.
Lyse Lemieux (b.1956 -) is an interdisciplinary artist known for her work in drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. Originally from Ottawa, Lemieux attended the University of Ottawa followed by the University of British Columbia where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1978. Since graduating, Lemieux has maintained a studio and has been an integral part of the Canadian art scene, exhibiting her work for over four decades in various galleries across Canada and internationally, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Oakville Galleries, SFU Gallery (Burnaby), Trépanier-Baer Gallery (Calgary), Loftyart Gallery (New Taipei, Taiwan), among others. Her public art installations in Vancouver reflect her exploration of the physical, emotional, and communal aspects of public spaces. In 2025, Lemieux will unveil a new public art project commissioned by the city of Burnaby. Her work can be found in both private and public art collections, nationally and internationally, including at The Vancouver Art Gallery; The Richmond Art Gallery; The Surrey Art Gallery; The Burnaby Art Gallery; and the Air Canada Collection (Montreal). Notable among her recent achievements is receiving the Doris and Jack Shadbolt Foundation for the Visual Arts VIVA award for Outstanding Achievement in the Visual Arts in 2017. Lemieux currently resides and works in Vancouver.