About

Originally from Quebec City, Mireille Gagnon is the creator behind the home goods brand Margot. She initially earned a bachelor's degree in graphic design from Laval University and later graduated from the ceramics program at the Maison des Métiers d'Art de Québec. Her experience in these two complementary fields significantly influences her vision of objects and her work, which stands out for its formal, precise, and minimalist character. Eager to share her passion and knowledge with the next generation, she also dedicates part of her time to teaching at the Maison des Métiers d'Art de Québec. Her studio is located in the Mile-End, in Montreal.

The constant pursuit of perfection. This is what largely defines Mireille's work. Inspired by notions of duality and paradoxes, she works with clay, a malleable material that remembers every movement. She seeks to control an uncontrollable material which is subject to numerous chemical and physical transformations that present additional challenges. Consequently, she must work rigorously and with great precision to create pieces and artworks that meet the standards she imposes on the material.

The relationship between form and function forms the basis of her reflection and practice, greatly influenced by the minimalist movement. Without disregarding the importance of function, her work is a highly graphic formal analysis where proportions and shapes take center stage. Reduced to its purest nature, the object is dissected and reconstructed using simple geometric forms such as the circle and the line. In order to give full prominence to the material and the formal aspect of her work, streamlined surface treatments are favored.

Photography credits: Marie-Pier St-Laurent et Johany Sergerie