Vincent
My body of work explores the ideas of depicting movement through a variety of methods. The main theme I followed started with Paris and the void architectural structures of the city. However, I changed to look at the ocean while working on my stingray sculptural piece “Jean-Pierre”. This piece is related to movement, more specifically to movement in water. I focused on curves and wavy shapes to convey this idea. My sub-theme is loneliness, focusing on positive aspects of it and I used the natural environment of the ocean to represent this idea. I chose to look at the sea and movement through it and in each piece, I focused on conveying to the viewer a feeling of isolation. Isolation here is positive, just like my ray swims on its own, or how the viewer faces the sea in “Kervegan”. To ensure the viewer can immerse themselves in my work, I used curves, which allow for the eye to be enveloped in the image pictured, as well as neutral colours which enhance my theme of positive loneliness, more specifically through the calmness and contemplation it represents.
The main piece of my oeuvre is “Jean-Pierre” which carries my theme and message the best. Although being static, we can see it float through water, almost flying, on its own in the silent ocean. This piece was the transition to Ocean : as I brainstormed how to make loneliness more apparent in my work, I chose to make a ray as they are solitary animals, but also remain majestic while moving. My pieces based on Parisian architecture “Up” and “Passy” focused on city lights, which are placed high above our heads and this allowed me to use a low angle to put the viewer in the solitary context of a Parisian street. To add to the viewer’s feeling of immersion within the ocean and curves, I created “Path”, which includes all of the previously mentioned elements. It represents the array of possibilities one comes across through their life journey. The idea of a journey is depicted through the movement one would make walking through this curvy tunnel, and the loneliness it takes to complete this journey on one’s own. I experimented with laser cut acrylic sheets to make this piece precisely uniform.
My main influence was Chinese artist Zhu Jinshi. His work with Xuan paper and neutral tones inspired me to recreate the calmness I felt while looking at his work. “Jean-Pierre” ‘s texture was inspired by the irregularity of the Xuan paper Zhu Jinshi used for several of his pieces. Another inspiration was Wabi Sabi. This Japanese form of artistic philosophy focuses on accepting beauty that is imperfect. This can be found throughout my work and especially in “Up” ‘s intentionally damaged support and “Techniques”, where the aim is to convey a general impression through the use of experimental techniques. These two influences allowed me to structure my work around two main features of simplicity and loneliness. By not searching for the most detailed representation, I believe the feeling of loneliness facing interpretation can be better expressed for the audience.
Finally, this exhibition was organised to display the themes I followed throughout my oeuvre. Being allocated a small room, I made space in the middle to enhance the impact of my main pieces. Entering the room, “Jean-Pierre”, my main piece, sets the general idea of my oeuvre. The window, in front of the entrance, is used to shed light on “Path” to emphasise its curved surface. “Filtered” uses natural light to project the Mashrabiya on its support. On the right wall, “Up” is placed to make the viewer feel like they’re looking at the buildings from the pavement. “Passy” elongates the room thanks to the perspective of the tunnel. “Techniques” is a transition to “Kervegan” as a softer representation of a body of water. Finally, “Zoetrope” allows a summary of my work by showing oneself immobile in a moving environment.
With the layout of my exhibition, I hope that my audience will understand the exploration of movement in my pieces and comprehend the sentiment of loneliness that the work evokes.
Up (September 2020)
Collage and ink on paper
40 x 27 cm
The root of this piece are pictures taken around the school. The series focuses on city lights.
The name “Up” was chosen instead of a link to lights, which was the original subject, as the other interesting factor of this series was the inevitable low-angle view. The textures were obtained by creating texture on the paper base. Tape, clippings, paint, ink and water were used to create this texture. These textures guided the drawing, painting and writing.
Passy (October 2020)
Chalk and charcoal
60 x 46 cm
This piece was intended to show solitude around the school area. The most important part of this drawing is the perspective that leads to the tunnel, and all the elements that uniformly convey it. Working with charcoal and chalk helped to focus on the various volumes, reliefs and shades, specifically by orienting the viewer’s eye to a joining point outside of the piece by using perspectives and monochromacy.
Filtered (December 2020)
Ceramic and oxides
30 x 10 cm
This work was inspired by “Passy”, more specifically the camera visible in the top right corner. Another element referred to in the making of “Filtered” is the wire mesh by the camera. I used the camera as it is a visual element that refers to the idea of one’s vision of the world. I was inspired by the Islamic art of Mashrabiya. I named it “Filter” as the wire mesh is in front of the lens, hiding the dirty parts from the footage. The message is to picture the bias one may apply to its vision.
Techniques (April 2021)
Acrylic on paper
56 x 47 cm
This piece depicts the solitude of the Seine on a sunny day. It was originally made as a practice for different techniques, including water painting, playing with colours and altering the paper’s texture.
As it is not particularly sharp or precise, it is interesting to see that the scenery remains depictable. The challenge was to have it done in one lesson, or about an hour and fifteen minutes.
I chose the colours according to a picture I took of the Seine, which I tried to adjust to the task.
Jean-Pierre (March 2021)
Metal wire, tissue paper, tracing paper
44 x 35 x 29 cm
The name “Jean-Pierre” came to me spontaneously over the manufacturing process. I stuck with it since I referred to my work as “Jean-Pierre” more than “my work”. It was inspired by a video about whether rays are self-aware or not. (DirtyBiology on YouTube) The materials choice was influenced by Zhu Jinshi, especially looking at the irregular texture of the paper. The bi-colourness of this piece is meant to express simplicity, and its position as an object and in the room, majesty in loneliness.
Path (February 2022)
Acrylic sheets & metal wire (piano string)
79 x 27 x 8 cm
“Path” depicts the lonely, continuous movement of one self. As we see the curve, the desired effect is to picture a longer tunnel than “Path” shows. It is meant to make one feel like its route is infinite. I was inspired by Richard Deacon’s work, specifically the wooden structures he built. The materials used are laser cut acrylic sheets -which provide a uniformity of shapes- and bent golden piano strings holding the acrylic pieces together.
Kervegan (January 2022)
Acrylic on Canvas
109 x 73 cm
“Kervegan” was originally inspired from a sunset on the sea in Brittany, a view presenting loneliness and contemplation. I used a lot more blue than expected, which turned out to look like a storm. I added cliffs in the centre so as to create a perspective, or a goal that the viewer could reach by diving into the painting. The waves are depicted by using elongated shapes, and the stormy atmosphere is conveyed by using similar colours for the sky and the ocean, as they blend into the raging weather.