Carrie Perreault
flowers in the bathroom

Reception: Friday, January 31, 6-9 PM
Artscape Weston Common – Unit 13
York, ON

Carrie Perreault's exhibition, flowers in the bathroom, presents 38 framed paintings that reflect her exploration of the beauty and impermanence of everyday rituals. During the pandemic lockdowns, limited access to studio space and materials led Perreault to turn inward, using the weekly cut flowers she keeps in her home as a subject. These paintings, with their vivid colours, intimate scale, and simple arrangements, meditate on the passing of time and the quiet joys that anchor us.

Each work is rendered with an attentive yet playful approach, capturing the textures and organic forms of cut flowers. Set against lively patterned surfaces and unexpected colour combinations, the paintings balance precision with expressive energy. The paintings invite viewers into a personal yet universal experience—the quiet moments of care and reflection that sustain us in times of uncertainty. 

The exhibition also draws on Perreault's decade-long career as a floral designer, a role in which she created arrangements for everything from casual weekly bouquets to elaborate arrangements for large-scale celebrations. Her deep relationship with flowers—both as symbols of beauty and markers of time—infuses the work with a layered appreciation for their ephemeral nature. The title, flowers in the bathroom, underscores this idea of finding extraordinary moments in the most unassuming corners of life as well as the site of the exhibition. 

Through these works, Perreault invites viewers to consider how we honour impermanence, find meaning in rituals, and celebrate the transient beauty that surrounds us. flowers in the bathroom is a quiet yet vivid homage to the fleeting and deeply personal moments that shape our everyday lives.

Carrie Perreault (she/her) is a multimedia artist whose practice spans sculpture, collaborative book projects, community engagement, installation, printmaking, and painting. Her recent exhibitions and projects include ‘It’s a Thin Line,’ Gallery Stratford (2021), ‘Pacing the House,’ the University of Waterloo Art Gallery (2021), and ‘Period of Adjustment,’ Niagara Artists Centre, St. Catharines (2019).

In 2024, The Artist Project invited Carrie to exhibit an installation of nearly 300 sculptures, and in 2021, Carrie was the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair's Best of Art Fair awardee. From January 24 to February 2, 2025, Perreault's sculptural work Emovere will be on display at Scout on Roncesvalles as part of DesignTO, continuing her exploration of memory, form, and materiality in a new context.

Perreault is also the editor of a two-volume collaborative recipe project called The Artist Cookbook. In 2019, she published a poster/pamphlet with essays by Sky Goodden and Lucy R. Lippard.

For more information about the artist:
DesignTO https://designto.org/event/emovere/

You can enter Artscape Weston Common—UNIT 13 either through the central courtyard at 34 John St, York, ON M9N 1J3, or via 31 King St, York, ON M9N 1K8.

Parking: There is a GreenP parking lot (#650) at 16 John St, York, ON M9N 0B2

Public Transit: The UP Express Weston Station is a 6-minute walk away. Buses 52 (Lawrence) and 89 (Weston) pass by frequently. 

Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7CzadKRVRUG4N4EeA

Hours: The reception is on Friday, January 31, from 6 to 9 PM; other times are by appointment.

Accessibility: A key-operated lift can bring you from the entrance (front or back) down six stairs to the main level. The exhibition and bathroom are on the 2nd floor (approx. 14 stairs) with no lift.