Photographer Claire Artemyz is interested in the traces left by living beings over a period of millions of years, from prehistory to the present day. These traces vary in nature. They may be the result of a natural process (fossilization, organic decomposition, skeletal remains); or, conversely, they may be the result of an intentional physical act (the stigmata of Christ and voluntary modifications such as tattoos) ; or they may constitute evidence of an extinct civilization or a bygone era (statuettes, prehistoric tools and jewelry, religious statuary). The photographer's aim is not to document this, but to evoke sensations, emotions, and hypotheses in the viewer through the use of macro photography, shallow depth of field, and carefully crafted chiaroscuro lighting that sculpts the surface and isolates details, all reinforced by the use of contrasting colors that emphasize the hot-cold relationship. The result is a mysterious, disconcerting image, imbued with poetry that borders on abstraction and yet is resolutely anchored in reality. The subject thus photographed becomes a surface from which emerges a sense of unease, a diffuse energy, a living memory, open to multiple interpretations by the viewer, who is inevitably involved. It is no coincidence that the artist prints her photographs in very large format. For her, it is a way of further enhancing the immersive aspect of her images and accompanying the viewer in this sensory plunge.
The photographer sometimes creates visual paradoxes by transforming violence and pain into images of great gentleness through the use of enveloping light and textures that invite caressing. In this spirit, she has developed a body of work on feathers and the human eye, always using a fragmentary approach and intimate proximity. We are then presented with images in which the delicacy of the subject is magnified, transporting us into a joyful and comforting bath of color.
While reality is conveyed through close-ups, it can also be manipulated through the use of staging that draws on the codes of still life and memento mori found in classical paintings. In a meticulously crafted chiaroscuro, a human skull sits alongside a butterfly, a rose, and an hourglass. The aim is to symbolize our ephemeral nature and to highlight our abusive attitude of omnipotence towards wildlife.
Claire Artemyz photographs what troubles her, upsets her, or resists the gaze. She manages to imbue her subjects with an additional dimension imbued with a sense of grace (even sacredness), expressing her love of life and her deep interest in past and contemporary customs. While she does not shy away from abstraction, she does not abandon herself to it completely; her most enigmatic images retain a tangible anchor, an imprint that resonates within us and that we are invited to complete.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the institutions, department heads, curators, gallery owners, collectors, and tattoo artists who have enabled me to carry out my work.