Grief makes people uncomfortable, and that discomfort shapes what we’re allowed to say, show, and share. Today, Madison sits down with Toronto based visual artist, writer, and educator Michèle Pearson Clarke to talk about what happens when you allow yourself move with grief, rather than simply allowing it to move through or past you. Clarke walks us through an auto-ethnographic practice rooted in the longing and losses of Brown and Black queer people, and how her practice as an artist took shape later in life. Growing up in Trinidad, she didn’t imagine herself as an artist, but volunteering at the Inside Out LGBT Film and Video Festival cracked open a new definition of who gets to make work. We talk about coming to Canada at 19, what it means to become “Capital B” Black in a Canadian context, and how social work and psychology trained her to navigate vulnerability, boundaries, and the structural forces that shape personal pain.We also have a frank discussion about some relevant topics this Pride, from Queer curating to relationship culture, while discussing some works in Clarke's oeuvre. We discuss why gay divorce can feel so abstract and so unspeakable in our community that fought so hard for marriage equality, and how Clarke articulates more nuanced Queer experience in her work. Clarke shares how she thinks about the limits and strengths of the still image versus video, why repetition matters, and how she wants viewers to feel something, not just “get it.” Plus, we dig into her time as Toronto’s photo laureate during the pandemic, her work on queer curating, and the realities of balancing teaching with an art practice, including creative blocks and rebuilding confidence. If you are interested in contemporary Canadian photography, video art, 2SLGBTQ+ artists, Black Canadian art, and the creative possibilities inside grief, listen to this episode and join in the conversation. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the line that stayed with you most. Connect with the Artalogue: Madison Beale, HostBe a guest on The Artalogue Podcast

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