Hello

from the studio

A thought

Are we done with perfectionism?

Artificial intelligence is on every lips lately. I'm still resisting to NFTs so you probably get the mood here... However something very interesting might happen: if AI is as much promising as they say, we human, will be soon released of a heavy weight: the quest of perfection. How amazing this sounds?
If our robots will nail it much better then we can ever do, are we gonna finally allow ourselves to be simply more human ? This is music to my ears and food to my thoughts :)

A place

Hong Kong

... ou la mémoire des sens.
I’m just back from Hong Kong, this was the first time I went back since I left in 2019 and I was a bit anxious of my reactions. Would I be disappointed? overwhelmed? would I question everything here in London? It was nothing like that.. It was a giant warm wave of familiar sensations. I felt welcomed, connected and I'm so grateful to have been able to maintain such a positive relationship with the city & its people. I know it has not been easy for many there between politics, covid and economic recession.

 I wrote down some of the sensations I loved to re-experiment, if you have ever been to Hong Kong you probably know :)

Traffic red light bips; running to take the ferry; missing the ferry and daydreaming for 30 min; sticky clothes; surprised by heavy rains and being socking wet in few seconds; wet feet under air con; a fresh watermelon after a sweaty hike; smiling to an impatient taxi driver; dragon fruit every mornings; burning thighs! soo many stairs & elevations; super cheesy supermarket music; mosquitoes bites; the magic of caffein on a jet-lagged brain; passing by the sea daily; sudden transition from wild abundant nature to ultra urban landscapes without any warning ... and so many more!  

A moment

From rejection to opportunities
Not to entertain a toxic positivity here but I have to admit that I do tend to curate my news and way to present myself online. Nevertheless I've experimented many rejections this year. I've been applying to different submissions and sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
I have this rule to keep me going: One rejection = One to two new submissions. If the feeling is very hurtful I will apply to 2 new things. This automatic system allows me to be resilient and give me a sense of control when things don't go the way I want them to go.

And 2 beautiful opportunities came out of this process,
I really hope you can join me if you are around London this summer:

A painting

The artist
When I paint some gesture feels so familiar. Just repeating them dive me in a reassuring familiar space. My art practice has became a juxtaposition of movements that i’ve collected over the years through different experiences. It’s like a dance.

Usually it starts by wide, spontaneous mouvements, large tools, standing position. A rough energy to get me started.  My whole body is engaged.

And the more i go forward, the more study the gesture becomes. Everything slows down and the murals brushes I use for backgrounds are replaced by miniatures ones. I’m sitted, controlling my breathing and usually listening to something to release a bit of the focus intensity.

I’m wondering how much of our gestures are our own and how much are inherited. Is it possible that our bodies know already what to do but our mind can't remember yet and sometimes block us? When the body and the mind finally tune in, we flow. I like this thought. It's as much reassuring as liberating.
 

A wish

For a non-eternal summer
Biologically speaking, Summer is the time we prepare our bodies to get ready for the colder months. It is the time Nature offers us more sweeten food like fruits for example so our bodies store fat to face Winter later.
I realise that our lifestyle makes us live in an eternal summer somehow...

I wish we have a better understanding of our natural cycles and I wish we are pushed to be less in conflict with it because of our contemporary lifestyles.
I guess it starts by knowledge first, requisitioning our surrounding and not always accepting what feels "convenient".
In the meantime, let Summer be a Summer, enjoy that cold watermelon, that juicy peach and wishing you a lovely recharging season!