I show a great interest in the transition from one state to another, in transformations through metamorphosis or almost imperceptible evolutions. In particular, my work plays with the confusion between authenticity and imitation, between nature and artifice, referencing simulacrum, false pretences and lures.
Each piece approaches these notions differently; the factitious character of Cracheh, a traditional headdress half made up of someone else’s hair that one passes off as one’s own, or Exquisite Corpse, a work made of beads that mimic human flesh and evoke the stereotypical aspect of body modification through aesthetic surgery. Monsters for Company are snakes revealing obvious signs of their metamorphosis into imaginary creatures, while FengHuang tells of the conception and hybridisation of an “ornithological chimaera” regrouping several existing birds. The piece Sangtu presents a natural form of nacre which looks so sophisticated and so well suited to its use, that it seems to have been manufactured. Parrots Devotees, for their part, deal with poultry birds posing as parrots, aiming to appropriate their attributes of beauty; and the Agate Jewels are fake stones made by replicating the natural process of an agate’s creation. Tennennomono, finally, are hair ornaments whose natural patterns and chromatic shades, inherent to the raw materials used, give the illusion of a decorative work.
The ambiguity of the pieces destabilises the viewer, questions their certitudes and provokes a feeling of strangeness. My work on illusion, faux and the state of transition, as well as an ever-present reference to nature, requires a certain rigour in order to be convincing; the use of highly developed techniques combined with a in-depth savoir-faire is needed. Materials are precisely chosen according to each piece and a detailed research on manufacturing methods is systemically conducted.
Inspired by the bizarre, folklore and myths, I am enthralled by supposedly magical items. My attachement to an imagination stemming from ceremonial body adornment is reflected in a constant body-related fascination. In this way, my pieces, through a real or symbolic relationship with the body, enriched by this input and compelled by this exigence, question unceasingly the very idea of wearability.