How are you experiencing the lockdown?
Since March 16, the beginning of the quarantine, my family has stopped going out. About every two weeks, my husband and I go to the supermarket to stock up on food. We are lucky to live in the western suburbs of Paris: Saint Germain-en-Laye. We have a large house with a garden, so there's plenty for the whole family to do. We are doing our best to stay healthy and enjoy family time as much as possible during this very special period.
What is your state of mind?
A mix of peace and rest on one side, anxiety and fear on the other...
To be honest, at first, the lockdown was a bit frustrating for everyone... but humans are very adaptable. I think it's more about the limitations imposed on us that restrict life choices we often take for granted. Given the particular circumstances of this virus, we fully understand why we are doing what we are doing. In fact, my husband and I have already experienced SARS in Asia. Each of us must do our part. We explained to our 3 children that we have to stay home for a while without going to school or doing activities.
We are resting well, reading together, and learning a new way of being. We must be grateful, cherish family and loved ones, and learn to appreciate our world together and listen to each other.
Does this lockdown experience have an impact on your artistic approach?
New inspirations, always! As a photographer, not being able to go out and photograph is a disaster! With people's reaction and behavior during this pandemic, I feel both real and surreal. As an artist, we can always depict reality with people's frustration and reaction. Being a good artist, we must be able to represent surrealism by exaggerating reality. I'm planning a new series of photos that are composed using post-production techniques to combine existing images that show that the perfect world we live in needs to pause, make space and time to reflect and also to heal...
Are you practicing during the lockdown? If so, can you tell us about your new works?
I started working on a large painting I made for my husband's 50th birthday. I'm not normally very attracted to painting, but strangely I had a strong urge to paint something for him, for our family. Equipped with paint and brushes, I felt my inner feelings come out... viscerally, directly, excitingly.
This piece is made with acrylic paint on a framed vinyl screen that was once a cinema screen. To avoid waste, I decided to use it to make a painting. The inspiration comes from Matisse's masterpiece "The Dance" (painted in 1909!). It presents a dynamic portrait of our young family, each character representing an individual... No matter what happens, no matter what difficulties are encountered, we must always stand side by side, celebrate our love and our unity!
140x240cm