The last few months spent in research and experimentation residency at the Cité des Arts in La Réunion have been very enriching.

Among numerous experiments exploring the themes of runoff and erosion, I discovered a process that utilizes capillarity to create patterns common to both minerals and organic materials. This involves manipulating oil paint, heavily diluted with turpentine, on smooth surfaces (glass, Dibond, Plexiglas). I employ various tools to guide the natural mechanical behavior of the fluid, resulting in patterns and structures with natural characteristics shared by both organic and minerals.

This correlation between the forms of the living and the inert and the intense emotion they produce on the public reminds me of the concept of “oceanic feeling” described by Romain Rolland: this sensation of being one with the universe.

I directed my research towards the natural landscapes of Reunion Island, to follow the axis I had set for myself. Fantastic images emerged in which worlds blend together: underwater tropical universes, forests, mountains, volcanic deserts.

I thus produced the Turpentine series, exhibited alongside the previous project 22% in Paysage intérieur at the La Friche visual arts center, in Réunion.

The series of small formats is presented with a form of chronology, of progressive evolution, evoking a movement, a transformation of the landscape: a journey.