From July 29 to September 6, 2025, White Water Gallery is excited to host a micro-residency in tandem with an exhibition in the gallery space by Ottawa-based multimedia artist Ava Margueritte. The artist will be on site during this period working on her developing project entitled Landfall, culminating with a finnissage open to the public on Thursday, August 28 from 6 to 8 pm.
From the artist:
Landfall explores the importance of support networks and the natural environment on mental health. Having lived with multiple neurodiverse conditions since I was young, including depression and anxiety, I have learned that often my needs do not align with societal expectations. In creating portraits of individuals from my community and the places in which I seek solace and refuge, my photographic series highlights my lived experience navigating an uncertain world with invisible disabilities.
This work expresses the nuance of binaries. The experience of mental health is not static: our environments, living conditions, employment, and even the weather play a role. People have their own natural rhythms, and sometimes the demands of societal structures are rigid and unyielding, superseding their personal needs. By striving to always meet the expectations of others, we are at risk of failing ourselves and becoming more vulnerable to symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Landfall brings attention to conversations surrounding mental health by illustrating its continuous, cyclical presence and challenging conventional narratives about this universal human experience. My images represent the fluidity of nature contrasted by the rigidity of society to represent the balance of self. Through sharing my story I shift a solitary experience into one of connection. Now more than ever, we need to promote greater awareness of mental illness during these unprecedented times of our social history.
Ava Margueritte graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts majoring in conceptual photography, and a diploma from School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa. She has received a grant from the City of Ottawa and a grant from the Ontario Arts Council in 2022. Margueritte has also received several recognitions including The Marc Guertin Craftsmanship Award, for outstanding photographic craft from the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa, was shortlisted for the Athens Photo Festival, and a finalist for the Project X Photography Award from the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Ottawa Arts Council and the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa. Her work is in the City of Ottawa’s permanent art collection, in private collections and has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
