Honorable Mention
DarkSide #34
DESCRIPTION
The Dark Side series is a photographic endeavor which offers a fragmented and dynamic take on the female body. Indeed, this work hinges on the juxtaposition of body fragments and darkness. These fragments, barely visible, make up the exposed side of this particular geography while the rising darkness slowly turns into an absence of detail. This dark part encourages us to reconsider the whole artwork as a new space where imagination and emotion are at the very heart of female mystery. AUTHOR
While on a series of trips to discover the immensity of barren lands, Xavier Blondeau starts wondering about the place of the individual in his environment. Turning to photography is his way of giving substance to his questioning. In 2009, he picks up this photographic work revolving around the individual, which he carries out in addition to his day job as researcher-lecturer.Through his photographic series he is looking for increasingly intimate answers. His approach remains instinctual -although he has relented and now better structures his work- while leaning toward a highly pared down kind of aesthetics. He is driven by emotion only, and this is how he navigates between abstraction, where he explores intimacy, and a very graphic kind of representation, in order to anchor this fantasy in reality. His photographs always shroud the scene in uncertainty, thus encouraging viewers to come up with their own interpretation of the photographer’s response to his own questioning… Xavier Blondeau has been very active on the art scene since 2011 and he regularly exhibits his work. His innermost thoughts slowly ermerge with each new series of photographs.