Amelie Hadouchi is a Montreal-Canadian artist with a love for abstract and an obsession with film. At first glance, her work gives a subtle chaotic feeling; colors bleeding and bending into and along with one another; darks morphing and contrasting into bubbles that vibrate light. Yet, inside this color chaos, she instills a uniformity on the canvas — a structural hold within the piece. Each brush stroke dances with the other, luring the eye close and then into the soul.
Hadouchi was born in Montreal to parents who originally immigrated here from Algeria. Her father has been heavily involved in cinema as a scriptwriter, completing over 45 movie scripts with a new short on the way the two are currently working on together. Her immersion in creating and performing started at a very young age with film and theater being at the forefront — she has since never been without it.
“My upbringing was truly harmonious and open-minded. As immigrants, I saw my parents work extremely hard to give my brother and I a good life. It inspired me to be the way I am today, persistent, and determined. I was introduced to the arts at a very young age since my dad studied cinema when he first arrived in Montreal. I started working in the movie and modeling industry at the age of 5 years old. I did a lot of theatre, and I started taking painting classes at the age of 9 years old and never stopped.”
Her involvement in cinema and performance had a lasting effect on her artistic process. Today, watching films when not working is how she passes her time. Going back to some of her favorites such as Inception, Les Intouchables, and Parasite to draw from them to help her with the conceptualization of new projects. Not just the aesthetics of them, the colors and set design, but how there’s complexity in each mixed with simplicity, and an overall humbling are all pieces she looks to for inspiration. She uses them as a portal of sorts to channel herself into another space, another time, another world. Before starting a new piece Hadouchi meditates in her own way, a more cinematic one.
“I often listen to Actors on Actors interviews since I'm really into cinema. Weirdly, listening to people talk about their craft really inspires me while I am creating. I'm always in a very relaxed state before hitting the canvas. It allows me to dig deeper and not be nervous about the outcome”
Travel has always been something that she incorporated into her life both in her work and out of the studio. Leaving the usual and taking a break, meeting new people, can spark a different view on life, a different look at a canvas or color. Getting away from her normal day to day and experiencing something different to find inspiration. Looking at photographs from past trips to relive memories and use those same emotions and color palettes she not only remembers but feels as well. Finding that unexplainable beauty in nature and relaying that onto her canvas.
“I am truly inspired by nature which is why I love traveling and connecting with natural landscapes. I am also inspired by emotions, by the people surrounding me. I’m grateful to be surrounded by positive and inspiring people. When I connect with them I have to rush to the canvas right away. People have a pretty crazy effect on my creativity. I work at home in Montreal but I also work in Laval just outside Montreal. I like going to Laval because, in just 25 minutes, I’m out of the city and in a beautiful forest so I often go for hikes there with my family. I get my dose of nature that way, I need it!”
Amelia doesn’t have a television subscription and chooses not to watch the news too much or read the paper. Blocking out the outside world and all of its publicized tragedy is a way for her to find harmony in herself and spread that to others in any way she can.
“For a very long time I would feel helpless and it would affect me a lot in negative ways. Now, I contribute in the ways I can and spread awareness when I believe it’s needed.”
An artist’s self-depreciation can be a tormenting trait that can either cause greatness or hurt themselves and their work. The battle between that is one of the biggest challenges for Amelia and one she is actively trying to correct.
“I'm a perfectionist and I put a lot of pressure on myself. It goes so fast in my head. I do a show and I'm already thinking about my next move. What I learned this year is to appreciate every single step and take the time to do so.”
Visit her website at ameliahadouchi.com
Follow her Instagram @ameliahadouchi
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