Claire Gunville
Biography
Claire Gunville (b. 1995 Seattle, WA) is a contemporary printmaker based in Portland, Oregon. Her work explores themes of ecology and technology through used electronic items. She is always thinking about the ways in which humans have impacted our global ecology through technological advancements. Gunville graduated from the Pacific Northwest College of Art with her BFA in Printmaking in 2019. Since graduating, she has shown work nationally, volunteered in printmaking classes, and interned for Gallery Nucleus Portland.
Artist Statement
Technological obsolescence and its resulting effects on the environment are at the forefront of Claire Gunville’s studio practice. As a young millennial, she is well aware of issues surrounding over-extraction of natural resources alongside the growth of the internet age. Our technological advancements not only affect us sociologically, but ecologically as well. Her works are inspired by and made from “dead” electronic items. Planned obsolescence creates a vast amount of waste, and it is very difficult to throw away or recycle electronic items once they go defunct. Gunville’s works try to find a new use for these items, using them to mirror organic flora and fauna. By using them to represent the natural world, we can question what is really natural in our human-made, ever-evolving landscape. Cables and electronics are so ingrained into our society now, are they really so different from our natural world? Or are they just a new part of it?
Website: Clairegunville.com
Instagram: @clairegunville