Through LEGO Compositions, Katherine Duclos Grounds Chaos in Color

Katherine Duclos begins each artwork with a color palette and no plan. Placing modular LEGO bricks one by one, the Vancouver-based artist intuitively builds each dense composition, commencing a repetitive process in which she introduces paint before rearranging again.

Duclos’ most recent solo show, aptly titled The light and color we carry, reinforces the overarching significance of color within the artist’s practice. She created her recent collection during a great shift as she moved to a new home with her family. The neurodivergent artist held onto color as a grounding force, creating connections between the specific hues and lights she would miss in her previous home.

Detail of “Temper your touch please” (2024)

A statement from the Vancouver Art Gallery reads:

Times of transition and upheaval are particularly difficult for autistic families, and Katherine’s need to order her world became more intense as her home became more chaotic and the future seemed unclear. To better prepare herself for the changes, she focused on regulatory work that enabled her to feel a sense of control and order amidst the chaos. 

Having disabilities with spatial processing and rotating images causes Duclos to run into some obstacles with the diagrams and instructions that accompany the traditional LEGO kit. “I never enjoyed Lego until my son handed me four flat pieces stuck together when he was 5 and said, ‘I thought you’d like these colors next to each other.’ That was my light bulb moment,” she says. Made to hang at any orientation, each vibrant amalgamation encourages movement and fluctuation despite the stiff, blocky nature of the material.

Duclos is creating work in preparation for a forthcoming solo exhibition in January next year. Keep tabs on her work via Instagram and the artist’s website.

“Fireflies and lilacs” (2024)

“Let your sad light be a beacon (Raincouver)” (2024)

Detail of “I will ahead of you and scaffold the light so you can see the path forward” (2024)

“Sometimes the asymmetry is so subtle it’s subversive” (2024)

“You can make your own plans, the day will make itself” (2024)

“Temper your touch please” (2024)

“I will ahead of you and scaffold the light so you can see the path forward” (2024)

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🔗 Source: Original Source

📅 Published on: 2025-03-07 21:19:00

🖋️ Author: Jackie Andres – An expert in architectural innovation and design trends.

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Note: This article was reviewed and edited by the archot editorial team to ensure accuracy and quality.