Image: Claudia Goulet-Blais, Hidden Daughter series from mère-fille: an archive of care, 2025, Image courtesy of the Artist

Claudia Goulet-Blais research focuses on maternal relationships, exploring the complexities of care and the shifting roles within family dynamics. Working collaboratively with their mother, they examine the nuances of intimacy, distance, and gesture—specifically, the embrace, which has become a recurring motif. The work draws inspiration from 19th-century hidden mother photography, exploring the tensions of physical and emotional proximity and distance, reflecting on mortality and loss, and examining the historical undervaluing of women’s care work.

Goulet Blais's proposed project for the duration of the residency is a photography-publication that builds on her MFA research work, specifically expanding upon her thesis project mère-fille: an archive of care. She will also mentor students from the Gordon Smith Gallery Artists for Kids Program, culminating in a student exhibition at Griffin in January 2026.