Mémoires

In her series "Mémoires"  Claire Artemyz photographs artifacts from the past, whether they are man-made (tools, figurines, weapons) or living archives (fossils)*. The artist's approach is not documentary in nature. The "Archives du vivant " photos, for example, are intended to echo the work of researchers, creating a crossroads between art and science. Through her lens, these inert objects seem to come alive with a presence, opening up access to a distant world of which only very rare fragments remain, some of which are still difficult to interpret. Statuettes, bolas, flints, and ammonites are no longer subjects of study, but thresholds to a world that shaped our own. Fully understanding the historical significance they carry, the photographer strives to awaken them, to make this ancestral memory visible, and above all to convey the emotion it evokes in her. She breathes extra soul into them, shaping an aura for each one, a form of homage to the humanity that created them. The result is strange, enigmatic images, the product of rigorous aesthetic treatment. Each object is isolated, immersed in a chiaroscuro atmosphere, often captured from a macroscopic point of view that reveals only part of it. On the borderline of abstraction, in this evocative silence, close to contemplation, the photographed object takes on an inner life, leaving room for the viewer's interpretation. The viewer then oscillates between formal identification and the mobilization of their imagination.

Claire Artemyz manages to bring objects back to life, not through their function, but by revealing their sensitive, even spiritual dimension. This work establishes an intimate connection with our ancestors, emphasizing that each photographed object is the fruit of human hands, and that it retains an energy transmitted through the millennia.

* All photos were taken from original objects preserved in various museums in France.

By human hands

Living Archives

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