The Fondation Thalie is currently presenting “Vue Liquide,” a solo exhibition from artist Caroline Achaintre.
Achaintre uses traditional techniques—such as tapestry, watercolor, basketry, and ceramics—informed by prehistoric art and European carnival folklore. She creates tactile pieces inspired by the age-old tradition of masks, as well as the caricature of society that carnival represents.
Caroline Achaintre, “Roofos,” 2014, laine tuftée à la main, collection privée, photo by Andy Keate, courtesy of the artist & Art : Concept, Paris, et Arcade, Londres & Bruxelles.
While still a student, Achaintre created frescoes and installations inspired by architectural forms. In 2002, she started transposing drawings into tapestries, in order to enlarge the scale of her works while keeping a form of domesticity. The move to tapestry denotes a leaning towards sculpture while retaining pictorial qualities. In 2008, Achaintre transformed her watercolors into objects made of clay, seeking a material that offered both malleability and stability.
For “Vue Liquide,” Achaintre created massive and colorful tapestries made of organic materials that occupy the space and play with their surroundings. In this carefully composed show, the large, colorful, highly textured works interact with a selection of folded reptilian ceramics. Her pieces capture skin imprints and have an almost disturbing part-animal, part-human presence.
Caroline Achaintre, “Spitfire,” 2020, Laine tuftée à la main, courtesy of the artist & Art : Concept, Paris, et Arcade, Londres & Bruxelles.
Achaintre is interested in challenging the material to create sensual an extraordinary work. “I want my objects to have an immediate presence, and not to be the illustration of an idea or a reference. I am also very interested in anthropomorphism and the coexistence of several states in a single work of art, as a kind of multiplicity of personalities,” the artist said in a statement.
Caroline Achaintre, “MissTique,” 2019, laine tuftée à la main, photo by Andy Keate, courtesy of the artist & Art : Concept, Paris, et Arcade, Londres & Bruxelles.
“Vue Liquide” is on view now through December 13, 2020.
