This fall, three female photographers are taking part in artist residencies in the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands. Thanks to partnerships established with France, Italy and Japan, Rencontres de la photographie en Gaspésie is delighted to be welcoming artists Victorine Alisse (France), Luana Rigolli (Italy) and Ayumi Hayashi (Japan) in September.
Each of them will create an original project in the region. The results of their research will be presented during future summer editions of the festival.
Victorine Alisse — France
Artist’s statement: As part of the residency organized in partnership with Diaphane and Rencontres de la photographie en Gaspésie I am creating a photographic series about our connection to the land. I decided to follow the Cascapédia River because, here, it was rivers that long enabled the Mi’gmaq people to feed themselves and to travel before the arrival of European settlers. I want to photograph what maps do not show: what lies hidden around a bend in the forest or within the rustling of the grass. During the first days of the residency I was able to camp near Lake Cascapédia, surrounded by squirrels and the calls of loons. For the rest of my stay, I plan to travel to Chaleur Bay, where the Cascapédia flows into the sea and where people cultivate the land.
Biography: The granddaughter of a farmer, Victorine Alisse has developed a long-term documentary practice focusing on the disappearance of the rural world, with a first body of work produced in France and a second in the Middle East. A member of the Hors Format collective, she collaborates with the French and international press, including Libération, Le Monde and Der Spiegel. She is also a member of the Women Photographers collective.
Partners : Diaphane, pôle photographique en Hauts-de-France, the Consulate General of France in Québec City, and The Institut français + Hauts-de-France Region.
Luana Rigolli — Italy
Artist’s statement: I read that the Magdalen Islands have been the site of numerous shipwrecks throughout history because of their dangerous seabeds. Over the centuries, islanders used materials salvaged from these wrecks to build their homes and other buildings. It is also likely that they still keep objects recovered from these shipwrecks. Another element that fuels my thinking is the geological formation of these islands: born near the equator, they “travelled” for millions of years toward the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I would like to undertake a photographic project based on the idea of a “double shipwreck”: on the one hand, the geological drift of the archipelago; on the other, the human memory of the hundreds of boats that ran aground on its shores. In this way, I hope to create a photographic “catalogue” bearing witness to these shipwrecks.
Biography: Born in Piacenza, Italy, in 1983, Luana Rigolli now lives in Rome. She enjoys photographing stories, with a particular focus on historical research and the interaction between human beings and the landscape. In 2017 she studied photojournalism at Fondazione Studio Marangoni in Florence as part of the Terraproject collective. She loves islands, especially volcanic islands.
Partners: The Italian Cultural Institute in Montreal and AdMare, an artist-run center for contemporary art.
Ayumi Hayashi — Japan
Ayumi Hayashi’s Instagram profile
Artist’s statement: I am currently travelling through the Gaspé Peninsula photographing nature, everyday life and the layers of time that shape the landscape. Here, the scale of nature is vastly different from that of Japan. It moves me deeply and sometimes makes me feel very small – a feeling I find refreshing. I am struck by the way people live at the heart of such vast and magnificent nature.
During my journey I visited several lighthouses, which are an important part of the region’s history. The large lenses, designed to project light far out to sea, were particularly beautiful. I am also drawn to wetlands, where rivers meet the sea.
Biography: Ayumi Hayashi is a Japanese photographer whose work explores the connections between land, memory and the cycle of life. Living in a rural village surrounded by nature and ancient ruins, she photographs the landscapes of her everyday life as part of her Domyaku project – “The Veins of the Earth.” This series was presented in summer 2026 in Marsoui as part of the 17th edition of Rencontres de la photographie en Gaspésie.
Partners : FOTOZOFIO, and the Japan Foundation.
Partners
We would like to warmly thank our partners, whose support makes these exchange residencies possible and helps bring artists engaged in contemporary artistic creation to the region:
- Diaphane, pôle photographique en Hauts-de-France
- The Consulate General of France in Québec City
- The Institut français + Hauts-de-France Region
- The Italian Cultural Institute in Montreal
- AdMare, an artist-run center for contemporary art
- FOTOZOFIO
- The Japan Foundation
Top image : © Victorine Alisse, Gaspésie 2026