Statement

Artist Statement

Nothing is as it seems. We are hanging in the balance of extreme scales containing systems and patterns that are too vast or too tiny for us to identify. All that we perceive (visible objects) or don’t perceive (microscopic objects) is built by the same limited number of minute building blocks such as atoms, where the identity of these objects essentially relies on the relative position and relationship of these atoms with one another. Reality becomes a lot more fluid and encompassing, where location and relationship in space and time are at its core…

In my art practice, this understanding has led me to delay recognition of the material. Applying transformation (distortion and concealment) or making the material serve functions it was not designed for, and sometimes seeking unexpected associations with other materials, have become an essential part of my work. Whilst I hope it will engage the viewer in the process of looking and questioning, to my mind, it is a self-reminder that an object’s identity is more fluid than its visual evidence. It also follows that temporal and spatial dimensions are a very important part of my work and, as a result, I favour certain materials and processes.

The outcome, the created form, does not carry a specific meaning but is the expression of my ongoing exploration and interest. It hopefully somehow resonates with the ideas that I seek to explore with considerations such as balance and precariousness, light and shadows, stillness and movement.

The form, mostly characterised by lightness and transparency, may translate into an abstract system or geometric representation, sometimes architectural, sometimes more organic but is always open to interpretation. It can equally be displayed on walls and plinths or suspended from the ceiling. The scale of the work is variable. However, in an attempt to draw the viewer close to the work, I favour clusters of small elements, rather than large scale items. This approach also applies to my drawings, which I often display in a grid form.

Additional info:

1 – Sustainability

2 – The importance of the grid in my drawings

3 – The importance of shadows in my 3-dimensional assemblages

Sustainability: Whilst my art practice is not about environmental sustainability, this matter remains one of my greatest concerns. I now seek to source recycled or green materials and to engage with eco-friendly processes. I currently sources my strips of wood from the local sawmill. They are scraps that would otherwise be used as kindling. Manual tools and domestic utensils are my main ressources to facilitate these processes – Cookie cutters are one of my most precious devices! My pieces also tend to be very light which makes them easy to transport, with a low overall carbon footprint.

The importance of the grid in my drawings: The grid is the omnipresent matrix that holds the potential of future making. After a drawing is completed, the grid is discarded. Yet, the work follows its footprint and, as such, forever holds its essence. The two layers (grid and work) encapsulate past and future in a fluid now, depending on which layer the viewer is observing from. On a more literal level, the repeated patterns, emerging from the grid, take up a predictable amount of time in the making: The ink on the surface of the paper becomes a transcript of duration where space and time are intimately interwoven.

In astronomy, it is used to illustrate the fabric of spacetime, which either expands or contracts in the presence of matter. In Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, time is woven together with the three dimensions of space, forming a bendy, four-dimensional spacetime continuum, a “block universe” encompassing the entire past, present, and future. As a result, each slice of the block refer to different spacetime coordinates that can be accessed in the present. The weaving aspect also becomes an important consideration.

The importance of shadows in my 3-dimensional assemblages: The final outcome of my work, the form, mostly characterised by physical lightness and transparency, invites the viewer to peer through the space and study material and process as well as the projected shadows on adjacent surfaces. These move with the time of day or with the direction of the spotlight in space. A space that not only carries the air we are breathing in this instant but also the light of our sun that took 8 minutes to reach us as well as the starlight that may be millions of years old. Shadows are evidence of temporal and spatial dimensions.

Both past and present are part of these hollow forms where space is neither negative nor positive. Following the basic aesthetics of the line, the material may even suggest non-sensical three-dimensional scribbles. There is however a consistent rigorous pursuit for visual balance between space and matter, as well as a search for parity of importance between materials which allow the form to exist. This is based on my belief that there is a fundamental order of things, which allows our world to be.