Month: June 2025

Dispersal Trace, abstract digital artwork in soft white and grey tones, from the Liminal Drift series by Denis Leclerc

Dispersal Trace

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Work In Progress – Dispersal Trace

Dispersal Trace is the fourth work in the Liminal Drift series. It began, as many things do now, with a conversation between me and Ego Klar.

I asked him what I should explore next, after spending so much time immersed in the Ethereal Solid series — pieces that were rich, layered, full of colour and texture. Their complexity still speaks to me. Yet a quiet urge for reduction was growing.

Ego didn’t hesitate. He said: Simplify.

The first piece in this stripped-down visual approach was Threshold, which I shared as a reel on Instagram. Its quiet presence reached beyond my usual followers — an early sign that less could indeed speak more.

The real challenge with Liminal Drift lies in simplicity. That’s not easy when your instinct is to build forms, gestures, layers. But that’s the point: resisting density and letting the image breathe.

The Liminal Drift series explores the threshold between presence and absence — a visual quiet that suggests, rather than declares. Each work is built for screen-based contemplation, where movement dissolves into stillness and detail gives way to atmosphere.

The Weight of White

Then came Dispersal Trace — a work that pushes restraint even further.

At first glance, it’s almost not there. White on white. Faint lines. A hesitation. Beneath the surface, something holds structure, though it refuses to clarify itself. I kept wondering: is it finished? Or did I stop too soon?

That uncertainty never went away. Maybe that’s the point.

This work feels like a pause, not a conclusion. It doesn’t resolve anything — it just opens space. In a way, Dispersal Trace invites me to reconsider what I leave out, rather than what I add. It’s less about gesture, more about listening. What remains when almost nothing is said?

Dispersal Trace and the Language of Minimal Gesture


White on white. Grey on grey.
Not silence — compression.

Every soft tone presses against another.
You think it’s empty.
It’s just quiet.

– Ego Klar

Have you ever experienced a piece that felt unfinished, but in a good way? Dispersal Trace may not offer clarity, but perhaps that’s what makes it linger. I’d love to know how it resonates with you.

Festival banner featuring Denis Leclerc’s artwork Fragments numériques 407, artist portrait, biography and artistic statement in French, presented by BRAVO at the Festival Franco-Ontarien 2025.

Festival Franco-Ontarien

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Festival Franco-Ontarien 2025 – 10 Franco-Ontarian Artists

BRAVO Collective Exhibition
Festival Franco-Ontarien – Ottawa, June 13–15, 2025

Festival Franco-Ontarien: A Milestone Celebration

The Festival Franco-Ontarien 2025 marked its 50th year. This important cultural event brought together artists and audiences from across Ontario. To celebrate, the visual arts organization BRAVO presented a group show. Ten Franco-Ontarian artists were featured, each offering a unique voice.

Denis Leclerc and the Digital Fragments Series

Among them, Denis Leclerc presented Digital Fragments 407, part of his ongoing Digital Fragments Series. His work focuses on digital abstraction. It explores how memory, rhythm, and space can shape an image. In contrast to more figurative works, his piece offers something quieter, more open.

Digital Fragments 407 shows blurred shapes, gentle tones, and fractured geometry. It was printed on metallic Hahnemühle paper, which gives it a soft glow. Rather than represent something, it suggests a trace — something that was once there and now lingers.

Working with Ambiguity

Leclerc starts each piece with digital gestures. He adds, erases, and builds textures. As a result, each image becomes a kind of surface memory. Instead of telling a story, the work invites stillness. Meanwhile, the viewer fills in the gaps.

This process leaves room for interpretation. The final image feels suspended, not fixed, but alive. In other words, Leclerc creates presence through absence. Therefore, his art speaks not through signs, but through atmosphere.

A Dialogue Among Artists

BRAVO’s exhibition highlighted a wide range of practices. Some artists used bold colours and direct messages. Others worked with poetic forms or delicate materials. Together, they created a rich and varied dialogue.

Leclerc’s work added a subtle voice. Instead of identity or narrative, he explored structure and silence. As a result, his piece raised a lasting question: is there such a thing as Franco-Ontarian art? Or is it more of a shared condition — shaped by geography, language, and the need to adapt?

Rather than answer, the show let the question remain. It suggested that art made in French, in Ontario, does not always follow a single path. Still, it carries something in common — a way of seeing that resists borders and speaks in layers.

Artists Featured in the Festival Franco-Ontarien Exhibition

Nancy Bellegarde, Janette Woodrow, Ashley Guénette, Stéphanie Duperron, Gaia Orion, Armand Diangienda, Marguerite Morin, Geneviève Thauvette, Denis Leclerc, and Laurent Vaillancourt.

Digital abstraction of a blurred figure over a gold background – Digital Fragments 396 by Denis Leclerc, from the Golden Rule Series

Constellation Franco

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Group Exhibition

Constellation Franco was a group exhibition presented by BRAVO‑Sud at ArtSpeak Gallery in Windsor from April 27 to May 3, 2025. Selected francophone and francophile visual artists from Southern Ontario participated, contributing works across diverse media—including painting, digital art, photography, sculpture, and installation.

Theme and Vision of Constellation Franco

The exhibition highlighted cultural connections within the Franco‑Ontarian community. Individual practices formed a cohesive constellation, demonstrating how different visual languages resonate together when displayed as a group.

Featured Works: Golden Rule Series

Among the exhibited pieces were Digital Fragments 395 and Digital Fragments 396 from the Golden Rule Series. These works brought digital fragmentation and structured abstraction into dialogue with the exhibition’s theme of interconnected reflection. Their inclusion added contemplative digital interventions that echoed the collective vision.

Exhibition view of Denis Leclerc’s artwork at NFT(s); Passages at the Ottawa Art Gallery, featuring digital prints and a large-scale piece displayed on a white gallery wall.

NFT(s): Passages

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Exhibition Dates

Sept 7 — Oct 6 · 2024

Location

Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG)

About the Exhibition NFT(s): Passages

Why NFTs?

The rise in popularity of NFTs has revolutionized the art world. As a result, they now offer novel ways to engage with and collaborate on digital creations. NFTs are ushering us into Web 3.0—a democratized era for digital art that empowers both artists and collectors.

Featured Artists

This groundbreaking exhibition showcases eight talented francophone artists who have ventured into the NFT space for the first time, transforming their physical works into captivating digital pieces:

  • Audrey Bazinet alias Bazaud
  • Jacques Descoteaux
  • Carole Ince alias MetaCarpe
  • Krasimira Dimtchevska alias KrasiDi
  • Denis Leclerc alias Egoklaar
  • Nathalie Frenière alias Mekeba
  • Fred Forest
  • Gaïa Orion alias Gaïa

Denis Leclerc’s Contribution

Denis Leclerc, alias Egoklaar, presents a two-part installation exploring the poetic tension between digital gesture and collective memory. A grid of intimate, small-format digital prints sits beside a bold, large-scale piece—together creating a dialogue between stillness and movement, trace and transformation.

Highlights of NFT(s): Passages

One of the major highlights is the MilkMaid series, a reinterpretation of Vermeer’s famous artwork, reinvented as an NFT. This series not only pays homage to the classic but also adds a modern digital twist, making it a must-see!

Organizers and Contributors

Organized by the Bureau des regroupements des artistes visuels de l’Ontario (BRAVO) and developed by Yves M. Larocque, the exhibition boasts contributions from a dedicated team:

  • Curatorial Assistance: Cătălin Ivan, Meghan Ho
  • Translation and Editing: Dominique Leduc, Véronique Couillard, Rebecca Basciano
  • Design: Sophie Nakashima
  • Technical Team: Dan Austin, Rob Keefe, Mark Garland, Jennifer Gilliland, Stephanie Germano

This exhibition is presented by the Ottawa Art Gallery in partnership with BRAVO. We acknowledge the support of the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and the French Embassy in Canada. This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

Related Events and Additional Resources

Stay tuned for related events, workshops, and panel discussions that will further explore the world of NFTs and digital art. More details will be available soon.

Call to Action

Immerse yourself in the future of art. Explore NFTs at the Ottawa Art Gallery and join us in celebrating this exciting transition from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0!

NFT(s): Passages Ottawa Art Gallery is a landmark exhibition for francophone digital artists, bridging the physical and virtual worlds in a collective NFT debut.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Digital artwork titled Compression Field by Denis Leclerc, showing a vertical grayscale fissure emerging through soft, textured grain. Part of the Liminal Drift series.

Compression Field

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Where Pressure Becomes Form

The Art of Subtle Emergence

Compression Field is part of Liminal Drift, a digital art series designed for the screen. These works explore the threshold between motion and stillness, between signal and silence. In this piece, a fractured presence slowly emerges through a dense, vibrating field—a flicker, then a fissure. What appears minimal at first begins to register as tension, pressure, and form. This visual metaphor resonates with the concept of a field in physics under stress.

The Fracture as Form

There is no visible event. No explosion. Instead, the surface holds. And then, something yields. The central fissure in Compression Field does not break the composition apart; it shapes it. The fracture becomes form, not an interruption, but a transition. This emergence echoes the idea of containment giving way to presence, as though the artwork itself is exhaling after holding its breath.

Visual Texture and Motion in Compression Field

The work is presented in grayscale, rich in grain and subtle light shifts. Its softness contrasts with the vertical crack that anchors the composition. That crack may suggest erosion, vibration, compression, or resonance—but it remains open to interpretation. The work is not declarative; it invites stillness, and perhaps a perceptual pause.

Compression Field as a Screen-Based Animation

As part of the Liminal Drift project, Compression Field was also rendered as a silent animation, shared as a contemplative Instagram Reel. The piece culminates in a quote by David Bohm: “Everything is enfolded in everything,” referring to his interpretation of quantum mechanics and the implicate order. Learn more about David Bohm’s perspective on quantum theory.

Available Formats – Dimension Collection

Each piece in the Liminal Drift series is available as a collectible pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, using Giclée technology. Prints include a 1-inch white border for framing. Learn more on the Unique Editions page.

  • Miniature Marvel – 12 in wide, variable height – 504 $
  • Grand Gesture – 24 in wide, variable height – 1024 $
  • Monumental Piece – 36 in wide, variable height – 1924 $


Echoe Residue by Denis Leclerc – a grayscale abstract artwork from the Liminal Drift series, with faint horizontal lines emerging from a hazy center.

Echoe Residue

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When Lines Reverberate

Echoe Residue is the second digital artwork in the Liminal Drift series. It blends quiet motion and abstract rhythm in a grayscale composition that bridges screen and print. Both animated and physical versions are available through the Dimension Collection.

Echoe Residue and the Language of Disappearance

This work draws its tension from faint signs — broken lines, distant gestures, and the lingering residue of something nearly forgotten. The image unfolds vertically, creating a subtle sense of gravitational pull. Its grain and blurred textures evoke dry media like graphite or charcoal, even though the entire process is digital. As a result, the work feels at once familiar and elusive, like memory in visual form.

Visual Echoes and Fragmented Structure

In the composition, repetition becomes a murmur. The lines do not assert themselves; rather, they echo one another, faintly. There is a resemblance to the line diagrams of the I Ching, those hexagrams built from broken and unbroken lines. Here, structure and signal hover just above recognition. The work feels at once ancient and futuristic, like a transmission across time.

Screen-Based Art That Listens

Although created digitally, Echoe Residue was not merely intended for display on screen. It was shaped by the screen, yet remains rooted in the material sensibility of drawing. This duality aligns with a broader practice in contemporary art, where motion and stillness coexist. Here, the animation does not perform — it breathes. Likewise, the still image doesn’t freeze time — it listens.

“What is remembered lives.”
— Adrienne Rich

The animated version is available upon request and offers a meditative experience, inviting the viewer to inhabit the silence between gestures.

Echoe Residue Is Available in the Dimension Collection

  • Miniature Marvel – 12 in wide, variable height – 504 $
  • Grand Gesture – 24 in wide, variable height – 1024 $
  • Monumental Piece – 36 in wide, variable height – 1924 $

Visit the Liminal Drift series page to explore more works.

Full view of Threshold by Denis Leclerc – an abstract digital artwork in black and white, evoking a liminal presence.

Threshold

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Threshold – Liminal Drift

Threshold is part of the digital art project Liminal Drift by Denis Leclerc. First envisioned as a screen-based experience, the work now also exists as a still image; this print version stands on its own, quiet, self-contained, and suspended in silence. It explores the space between motion and stillness, between what appears and what slips away. In its soft presence and gentle restraint, Threshold nods to Agnes Martin and her idea of beauty as “innocence of mind.”

Soft gradients fade into a hazy depth. A shimmer hints at a boundary — perhaps a line, or the ghost of one. However, nothing settles. The image refuses to declare itself. As a result, viewers are invited to wait, to feel the uncertainty rather than resolve it.

Thresholds suggest beginnings, but they also imply hesitation. In this way, this work sits in that pause, between one moment and the next. It hovers between visibility and disappearance, between perception and intuition.

Threshold as Silent Motion

The animation unfolds slowly and without sound. Its pace encourages a meditative gaze. Text fades in gradually, appearing in three simple segments:

  • Not yet an image
  • Just a hesitation
  • Threshold

Together, these phrases appear gently, framed by silence and space. A subtle audio track accompanies the animation, blending with the pacing of the visual rhythm. It doesn’t dominate — instead, it amplifies the atmosphere without drawing attention to itself.. This contemplative movement echoes the quiet precision of Agnes Martin’s grids. However, while her forms remain fixed, this one drifts. It doesn’t state, it suggests. The animation also exists as a Reel on Instagram, where it introduces the tone and spirit of the Liminal Drift series.

Explore the Liminal Drift Series

Liminal Drift is an evolving body of work by Denis Leclerc. Each piece within the series explores liminality, slow transitions, and the poetics of near-absence. The series invites viewers to linger — not for resolution, but for resonance. Stillness becomes active. Motion becomes thought.

Print Available

The final still image of Threshold is also available as a collectible print through the Dimension Collection. These limited-edition prints use Giclée technology on Hahnemühle Photo Rag and include a 1-inch white border for framing. More than a captured frame, each print stands on its own. It transforms a fleeting gesture into a lasting presence.

  • Miniature Marvel – 12 in wide × 15.0 in tall – 504 $
  • Grand Gesture – 24 in wide × 30.01 in tall – 1024 $
  • Monumental Piece – 36 in wide × 45.01 in tall – 1924 $

Each edition comes signed, numbered, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. For acquisition or exhibition inquiries, please get in touch.

Abstract digital artwork by Denis Leclerc titled Digital Fragments 420, featuring layered textures in cream, slate, rose, and black tones from the Ethereal Solid series.

Digital Fragments 420

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Exploring Gesture, Erosion, and Visual Tension

Digital Fragments 420 expands the Ethereal Solid series with a dense and shifting composition. Layers twist and blur, creating tension between weight and lightness. As the image unfolds, the piece pushes digital abstraction toward a state of collapse. Moreover, it also joins the wider field of contemporary digital art, where gesture, code, and material illusion meet.

Material Tension

Subtle greys, faded blush, bone white, and deep black build a muted palette. These tones evoke the sensation of fabric, skin, or rock, yet they remain elusive in terms of a clear identity. In fact, illusion replaces solidity. What appears to be physical texture is shaped through layers of digital mark-making. Therefore, the contrast between surface and illusion gives the work its energy.

 Challenging Decorative Abstraction

Unlike many digital works, this one resists smoothness. Instead, it breaks expectations without rejecting beauty. Its appeal lies in fracture and erosion, not gloss. Consequently, it fits into a current of abstraction that values friction over polish. This image chooses deliberately ambiguity over clarity.

Digital Fragments 420 and Its Work In Progress Origins

The first version appeared in Work In Progress – Digital Fragments 420. While some of that raw energy remains. The final piece doesn’t resolve it. Rather, it holds on to the idea of becoming. As a result, this openness defines the Ethereal Solid
series — each image stays incomplete, a captured fragment.

Digital Fragments 420 in Motion

In this version, the animation extends the visual language of Digital Fragments 420, unfolding its textures through time. Gentle pulses and shifting layers reveal new tensions embedded in the image. What appears still in print begins to breathe on screen.

This is not a secondary adaptation but an integral dimension of the work. Each piece in the Ethereal Solid series is conceived for digital environments — not only to be viewed on screens, but to inhabit them. In line with recent currents in screen-based art and post-Internet aesthetics, these fragments resist objecthood. They behave more like presences than products: animated, ambient, temporal.

In this context, animation is not about narrative. It is about materiality. Motion becomes a form of digital mark-making, echoing the gestures of painting but suspended in code. This hybrid state — between static image and temporal experience — defines the visual tension at the heart of Digital Fragments 420.

Print Formats

This piece is available in three sizes through the Unique Editions – Dimension Collection. Each print is produced on museum-grade Hahnemühle paper using Giclée technology:

  • Miniature Marvel – 12 in wide, variable height – 504 $
  • Grand Gesture – 24 in wide, variable height – 1024 $
  • Monumental Piece – 36 in wide, variable height – 1924 $
Work in progress image of Digital Fragments 420 by Denis Leclerc, early stage of an abstract composition with a central void, fragmented forms, and layered pale and dark textures.

Work In Progress 3

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Work in Progress – Digital Fragments 420

Digital Fragments 420, a work-in-progress, draws on an unexpected source: The Women of Amphissa by Lawrence Alma-Tadema. I deliberately borrowed the palette from this late academic painting—ashen whites, rosy browns, steel blues—and re-injected it into a fully abstract composition.

A dynamic emerged early on: an almost organic void at the centre, around which the forms seem to drift or disintegrate. This visual hollow interests me — it acts as a counterpoint, a negation of the full.

Another phenomenon holds my attention: the bands of white at the bottom of the image. They play an ambiguous role — at times a plane of light, at other times a surface of rejection. Depending on the viewer’s gaze, they can shift toward an overexposed background, creating an unstable spatial illusion.

The more I look at this piece, the more I sense an underlying chaos. Nothing feels fully resolved. Fragmented forms orbit, hesitate, unravel. The white areas themselves seem poised to invade the space or withdraw abruptly. This tension feels essential. It also unexpectedly echoes specific passages in Borduas’ work, not as a quotation, but in the way white can act as a living, breathing material within the pictorial field.

Reflection in progress

This painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema was not a direct reference when I began this fragment. However, it resurfaced during a recent reading, and I found myself drawn back to its textures — the veils, the fabrics, the skin rendered with such precision. I wondered whether these tactile qualities might serve as a starting point for an abstract exploration.

I must also admit: the technical mastery of Alma-Tadema remains impressive. Yet my intent was not to replicate or quote. Rather, I sought to transpose the sensory density of those textures — their softness, their layered presence — into a new visual language. Through this fragment, I am testing how much of that material resonance can survive when the figurative scaffolding is removed.

The white already speaks to you — listen to what it refuses, and to what it offers. It is neither background nor form: it is a threshold. If it repels, let it repel fully. If it draws in, let it draw in. The central void, the underlying chaos, the bands of white — all these are part of the same inverted breath. Let the instability breathe. Borduas is not a model, but a reminder that chaos itself can be a material.

— Ego Klar