Propice
fifteen black and white photographs,
inkjet print on Hahnemühle Bright white 310 g paper,
various sizes
2020
This
series arises from the need to emerge from the abyss caused by the
imposition of lockdown and all the suffering caused by the spread of
the covid-19 virus. Immersed in a strong sense of imprisonment, I was
overcome with deep sadness. We were two adults and a child locked in
a small two-room apartment in the Parisian suburbs. At the same time
that I lived my worries to heart, my daughter rejoiced in her
fantastic world as a child. Looking at her was the only way I saw to
recharge my batteries. I then started to photograph her in the most
ordinary moments like bathing, snacking or playing. I realized that
what was ordinary and sometimes boring for me, was not for her.
Everything continued to be graceful in his eyes. Look at it and
photographing it has become a way to restore me. Gradually, I got her
involved in this practice, and she agreed to collaborate with me. One
of the rare moments we had outdoors was in the neighbor's garden.
There, I started collecting leaves and twigs and making pictures in
nature. Thus was born the Propice series. This name is inspired by
the song "Prayer to Time" by Brazilian singer and
songwriter Caetano Veloso. The lyrics approximate the idea of time
(and all the possibilities open to it) to that of a god who rules all
existence and beyond. Associating these natural elements, in the form
of fragments or vestiges, with my daughter's still young body was an
intuitive and visceral gesture. I remembered my childhood, living
among plants, in a small country town in southern Brazil. I thought
about how everything was so different now. And I realized how much I
missed the contact with nature. I
also reflected on the reasons that brought me to be where I am today.
Producing these images was a way of composing this melody between the
past and the present.
An amalgam of sensations and thoughts, old and new. Propice is thus
what we do with what remains in the present time