Since 1993, Serge Clément has devoted himself entirely to artistic photography and his works have been exhibited in many countries.
Serge Clément was born in Québec (Canada) in 1950. He started working as a photographer in the 1970s, alternating between commercial and personal projects. His poetic style is already showing in his initial works (Affichage et Automobile, 1976-1977; Notes urbaines, 1980-1984; Suite européenne, 1984-1987): modern and urban sensitivity, humanistic approach, archaeological and metaphysical depth.
Since 1993, he has devoted himself entirely to artistic photography and his works have been exhibited in many countries: Québec-Canada, where he is represented since 1993 by Toronto’s Jane Corkin Gallery, France, where he is represented since 2001 by Lyon’s Le Réverbère gallery, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Syria, China, and Japan.
Since his first book (Cité fragile, 1992), he has been exploring various artistic styles: traditional documentary (Halloween, 1997), visual poetry (Vertige Vestige, 1998), expressionist installations (Persona, 2000; Parfum de lumière, 2004), and urban visions (Fragrant Light, 2000; Sutures–Berlin 2000-2003, 2003).
In 2002, he has produced for the National Film Board of Canada a short animated film (Parfum de Lumière/Fragrant Light) from photographs taken in Hong Kong and Shanghai between 1995 and 2002. This fragrant light takes us through space and time in an urban landscape where Hong Kong is showing the way to Shanghai, while the photographer’s inner city gives us a glimpse of the 21st century metropolises. He also takes us beyond history, in multidimensional chiaroscuros telling us who he is, who we are, of where we are heading..
Clément just finished courants ~ contre-courants, a complex project to be displayed in an installation that includes exhibitions prints, 2 large-size books of photographs and an album published by Éditions Marval (Paris). It was presented at Lacerte art contemporain in Quebec city in June 2007. Matter, shadows and poetry constitute the framework of this America-Europe, intercontinental dialogue, while the storyline explores the multiple, space-time layers of human activity, real and imaginary, past, present and future.
Serge Clément is the recipient of many grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, which recently granted him the use of Québec’s studio in New York for a period of six months, starting July 2007.