For nearly seven years, Éric Antoine has devoted himself to the wet- collodion process, placing the tangibility of images at the very heart of his quest. His work cannot be dissociated from his life, whether in its most mundane aspects or its fundamental quests. He questions the fleeting nature of time, memory, the healing of scars, and hope, ever discreet and unwavering. Symbols and allegories trace the geography of the photographer’s spirit.
The feeling of isolation, a theme that is central to his work, reveals the choice of a life at one with nature. The stillness and silence that are intrinsic to Éric Antoine’s photographs contrast with images from a world of competition and imposed rhythms. Expressed in subtle hints, his work represents a firm stance against the pursuit of sensationalism.
From this reflection arises a quest for an ever-greater paring down. The simplicity of his still lifes and the purity of his landscapes reflect obsessive minimalism. As the eye is rid of disruptive outpourings, it is finally able to rest on the beauty of a patch of light, a delicate pile of forgotten papers, or a light reflection on the skin.
Résilience stages the healing of bodies to reveal that of the soul. In these photographs, bandages conceal the wounds we refuse to see. Fabric is a protection – from sight, from time. Here, time toils. Memories pile up – layers of appeased memories that crush all damage. Bodies appear in absurd positions. Landscapes shift, more open, more varied. A new life begins.
Eric Antoine, Résilience
November 3 to December 2, 2017
Galerie Laurence Esnol
22 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
France
