Between the visible and the invisible
- Anne has a theoretical education but is self-taught in her craft
- She defines her art as offering an insight from microcosm to macrocosm
- Her masterpieces appear differently depending on the space they occupy
With a rich historical knowledge of the arts, Anne Féat-Gaiss developed a unique know-how, in which she subtly engages paper in a dialogue with other materials, from copper foil to painting. Among other degrees, Anne is a graduate of the École du Louvre in the art of Mesopotamia, India and South-East Asia, and of the École Pratique des Hautes Études in comparative archaeology. “Inhabited by all these teachings, I gradually created my own universe, a syncretism of these different influences, a confluence of the myths and mythologies of ancient peoples, a blend of philosophies and artistic techniques.” So, by marouflaging metal sheets on paper, incising this with a scalpel, painting it and merging other precise gestures, Anne gives life to impactful bas-relief sculptures, sometimes in very large scale.
Interview
- Where do you draw all your inspiration from?
- Nature is an artist, and in my opinion, the greatest of all. It never ceases to surprise me, endlessly renewing itself with ever greater beauty and harmony. I see my work as an echo of its magnificence. It is a way for me to get closer to the very essence of what presides over all life on Earth and in the universe.
- Do you remember when you first decided to create your paper bas-relief sculptures?
- They were an evolution of my practice, which was initially based on cut-outs and collages. It was a time when I needed to renew my work following other influences. I wanted to free myself from illustrations gleaned from books and newspapers. I knew that paper was my medium; it fascinated me with its delicacy, intrinsic qualities, softness and robustness.
- And how did you actually get started with your technique?
- I created my own coloured papers on all kinds of paper from around the world. Then I cut them out and realised that the use of scissors limited me. So I got my first scalpel and tried to reproduce what I knew how to do, but the material resisted. I then tried to work on the surface, like the scales of an animal or the feathers of a bird, and that is how it all started.
- How would you define your specific skills?
- I like my works to interact with the environment, as if they were coming to life. It is, I believe, this permeability to the environment that sets my works apart; like a metaphor for consciousness, they become a mirror of our soul and our emotions.
Anne Féat-Gaiss is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2012
Where
Anne Féat-Gaiss
