Camille
We exist and evolve in established places and spaces. In Paris, we exist within specific constraints that shape our daily lives, and in the end impact our social experiences. My body of work presents our daily lives and how we connect with our urban environment. I explore this through a range of materials, from ceramic to canvas. I wanted to explore shared spaces as they revolve around collectives and I think of communities and collectives as especially important in cities, where individuals are often isolated and lonely despite the crowds of people. My work depicts urban spaces to reflect on similar themes of solitude, connection and constructed landscapes.
I started off by exploring my immediate urban surroundings in ink drawings and gesso in my concertina Flowing facades. This led me to look into urban planning and how cities are designed. This interest in urban planning made me reflect on how human connection is fostered or overlooked in cities. A historic moment that forever changed the landscapes of cities is Industrialization, that inspired me to make the piece Ignorance and Want. Grayson Perry’s work with pottery and overarching social message inspired this piece. It was here where my work turned to how landscapes influence communities. I used dramatic and bold colour in Bois de Vincennes, which shows a serene place among the bustle of the city. I was particularly inspired by the Fauvist movement that emerged in France, where artists used color to capture the emotional essence of a scene rather than depict it literally. Mixed Landscape is a zen garden-inspired artwork that alludes to the properties of ceramics as well as the zen garden: the balance between human intervention and natural elements. It turns the vessel into a “living landscape”, the sand emphasising the mark-making sgraffito techniques of the ceramic. In addition to directly appropriating some of Tina Barney’s photography, I was inspired by the curation and structure within her images and the balance she gives to both people in relation to their environment. In her portraits, she highlights how our surroundings become part of our identity. The quiet narratives embedded in her work have transformed the way I view landscapes. The piece Goose, painted in acrylic paint is reflective of her influence, as I captured that moment for its faraway silhouettes and overall stillness that invites the viewer to consider the everyday with new eyes.
My exhibition is an L-shaped space with a large window at the far end. Moving from left to right, the first grouping of pieces shows my exploration of urban planning and urban landscapes. The striking pink colour and the scale of Bois de Vincennes was placed towards the center of the wall to catch the eye of the viewer. From then, the work becomes gradually more rural and vegetal. By placing Mixed Landscape close to the window that overlooks a courtyard with vegetation, it adds another dimension to the concept of “living landscape”. A plinth is placed far from the walls and to the left of the last piece on the wall to encourage the viewer to walk around the piece. Sgraffito Tiles being shown alongside on the wall creates a visual link that connects the two pieces as they are created from the same technique.
My exhibition intends to make the audience think about their interaction with the environment around them and the way we are shaped and influenced by our environments. Do we see ourselves as constricted by spaces around us? How do we perceive our environments and how are we finding beauty in the mundane? I hope to encourage viewers to reconsider the landscapes they move through daily not just as backdrops, but as living environments that shape and are shaped by human presence.
Metro (January 2024)
Chalk and Charcoal on paper
65 x 51 cm
Metro is a chalk and charcoal drawing depicting loneliness in the city. Tones of grey were created using a paintbrush starting from the centre, revealing in some areas the light brown background colour. This piece can be linked back to Finding light, as both explore contrast, as well as light and dark. I was inspired by Edward Hopper's work in creating a moody atmosphere by placing individuals in large open spaces to create a sense of solitude and melancholy.
Ignorance and Want (May 2024)
Ceramic and oxide
15 x 29 x 23 cm
Ignorance and want is a ceramic urn that explores how communities are affected by change, specifically here during Industrialisation. The urn’s form reflects the universality of this theme. The oxide used on the surface emphasizes the urban setting. This piece alludes to the Charles Dickens’ characters, Ignorance and Want from A Chrismas Carol, symbolizing the social consequences of progress. I drew inspiration from Grayson Perry’s ceramics vases’ use of the surface on the ceramic piece.
Mixed Landscape (December 2024)
Ceramic, slip, earthenware glaze
30 x 70 cm
Mixed Landscapes is curated to resemble a zen garden, symbolising harmony and the balance between human intervention and natural environments. The markings on the ceramic are made using the sgraffito technique, inspired by ceramicist Tiffany Skull, recreating the landscapes in the photographs by the artist Tina Barney. The decorative vessel portrays the calmness of the people in their surroundings, and explores the effects of green spaces on communities.
Goose (March 2025)
Acrylic on canvas
130 x 70 cm
Goose explores a moment of tranquility within the landscape. I used vibrant colors, allowing blue to peek through the layers to create depth and harmony. The detailed geese contrast with the softened human figures, emphasizing the quiet presence of nature alongside city life. The bright orange shirt underlines the presence and interactions of people in the space. I was influenced by Peter Doig’s dreamlike landscapes with large trees, overlapping branches and shadows on the ground.
Tree Shade (February 2025)
Indian Ink on paper
61 x 47 cm
Tree Shade is an ink painting, made from the photography The River (2017) by Tina Barney. By applying a coloured base ink first, it seeps through in some areas to create a lens on the piece that has a somewhat dreamy and surreal effect. The high contrast in ink concentration throughout the piece, from very light to very dark, the people and their shadow stand out. I was inspired by Joe Cartwright’s watercolour landscapes, and how he treats the medium similarly to paint by layering colour.
Finding Light (October 2023)
Acrylic on wood
52 x 24 cm
Finding Light is based on a photo I took at the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. The viewer’s eye is drawn to the dark background at the center, while the bright stone enhances the contrast between light and shadow. The ghost-like figure in the dark adds an element of mystery and depth. My inspiration came from the atmospheres in Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s paintings, for their glowing light quality and capturing a fleeting moment.
