Creative approach
"Every man is torn between two needs, the need for the Pirogue, that is to say the journey, tearing away from oneself, and the need of the Tree, that is to say the rooting, identity.
Men constantly wander between these two needs, yielding sometimes to one, sometimes to the other. Until the day when they understand that it is with the Tree that we make the Pirogue. "
Melanesian myth of the island of Vanuatu (Oceania)
Discovered by chance a few years ago, this myth originating from the oceanic islands resonated strongly with me like a revelation. According to the study of this myth by the geographer Joël Bonnemaison, for the inhabitants of the archipelago the tree is man and the canoe is society. Its interpretation with regard to our Western societies questions the place of nature in our lives and its impact on our reason for being, uprooting, the quest for meaning and the quest for self.
Growing up in an urban area, I always imagined myself as a great traveler before understanding that my essence comes from the earth, from nature. It nourishes creation and helps with anchoring. My greatest moments of happiness are found in nature, in front of spectacular landscapes, on hikes, discovering others.
The trip taught me the liberation of gesture. The meetings allowed for exchanges which opened up new perspectives. In 2016 after a 6-month university exchange in China, my works were transformed. There I learned to listen to energies and elements, ch'i.
For me, the way to make visible these emotions of contemplation, these powers of the elements is through painting. In an abstract style, my paintings express the power of nature through contrasts and saturated colors. I create my paintings based on what nature gives me, how I feel it and imagine it more than how I see it.
My inspirations are drawn from the Franco-Chinese painters Chu Teh Chun and Zao Wou Ki through the expression of color in abstract landscapes. I use materials such as cement, paper and sawdust to anchor the intention of the painting like the tree and lay down the colors, expressing force and movement through paint and taking the viewer on a journey like the canoe.
My work extends to the transmission of painting techniques to evaluate one's environment and appropriate the elements.
