What is my artistic approach?
I divert one subject from the real, to show another one, originating from the imaginary. Note that my initial subject do not disappear: in other words, the imaginary and the real merge into the same form. They coexist, without interfering with each other, within the same form. Hence:
- a flower (real subject) becomes a beluga whale (imaginary subject);
- a fireworks display (real subject) becomes a race of sperm. (imaginary subject);
- a daytime sky (real subject) becomes a nocturnal sea storm (imaginary subject).
In summary, in my photographs, ambivalence and the double interpretation that it implies are always intentional, thought about long before the artwork is created.
The real is not my subject, it is the medium from which I work: in other words, the support of my imagination.
What motivates my artistic approach?
Why is this fusion of the real and the imaginary so crucial? Because this ambivalence changes our perception of the real: the imaginary makes the real amazing, puzzling, interesting, enjoyable, or it brings to our mind questions about this real. Because I believe the important thing is not the subject photographed but the imaginary that is concealed within it.
In addition, creating a double picture is fun to do and it is a way to get involved in the photo and involve the viewer himself. It is a way to bring intellectual depth into the photo as well as to open the viewer to the polysemy of an image.
Translation by Orlane Robert, Governance Assistant at The UN and The WTO.
Proofreading by Corinne Thouvenin.