Julie Lequin. “En résidence,” 2009. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 12 x 9 in. Courtesy the artist.

French-Canadian artist Julie Lequin consciously blurs personal history and fictionalized worlds in her videos, performances, drawings, and writings, creating new narratives in the process. Lequin’s real-life events become part of an ongoing, first-person storyline that, told humorously and from an unconsciously self-conscious point-of-view, makes the viewer privy to the steps of her creative process.

Lequin has completed six residencies (and counting) in Europe and the United States, including Art Omi (Ghent, NY), Macdowell Colony (New Hampshire), Yaddo, (Saratoga Springs, NY), Cow House Studio (Ireland), and the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center Residency (southeastern Nebraska). Many of the odd, linguistic experiences she has while traveling make their way into her artwork.

In 2010, Lequin completed Les Récollets Artist Residency, run by Quebec Art Council though located in the middle of Paris. It’s supposed to be an artist’s dream come true.

“Who doesn’t want to get paid to be in the studio and be in Paris?,” Lequin says matter-of-factly.

And it’s true. What artist could resist the chance to work in the same city that inspired the likes of, to name just a few, Gustave Courbet, Suzanne Valadon, and Marcel DuChamp?

Read the full post on Art21: http://blog.art21.org/2013/02/12/france-is-for-phonies-julie-lequin-isolated-in-paris/