Interview with Michel Audebert
In my work on the image of Nature, well beyond the visual aspect, it is in fact our intimate relationship with it that I try to express, and in particular at the sensory and emotional level... My research on the transmission and the expression of emotions is a visual writing a little subliminal, which creates the perception amplified by the very great "presence" of the subject exposed to the glance... One can find a certain "spirituality" in the general direction with my artistic research, in the direction where I try to capture precisely that which "does not see"... As for example the Light, of which I do not always remember to have been the witness, as well as certain forms and matters... That corresponds with my perceptions and metaphysical convictions! ... But one can also more simply consider that my expressed emotions come from my own sensitivity. In fact, my image work is autobiographical in the sense that it always reflects my emotional state of the moment ... But I always hope that these emotions can resonate with a part of the viewers of my photographic work!
Can you pinpoint the moment you decided you wanted to become an artist?
Actually, I decided to "become" an artist as soon as it came to me... that is, by a certain way of feeling, not by a decision. This realization came to me at the age of 17...
Where is your studio and where are you from?
My creative studio... is the natural world, and this is not an easy formula but the reality! I am from France and more precisely from Paris....
Tell us a little about your artistic background. What were your first influences to be creative and become a serious artist?
A long time ago now, I attended a private school of Photography to get the technical basics, and already, still very young, I received very wise encouragement from people in the photographic world... I don't belong to any particular movement, but painting and some photographers, in particular, inspired me and allowed me, I think, to find my style of images! A little later, my work was recognized by the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Paris at the very moment when Lucien Clergue and Yann Arthus-Bertrand made Photography enter the Académie des Beaux-Arts as an art in its own right...
Can you tell us what you have going on right now?
At the moment I am participating in a digital presentation of artistic work, with videos broadcast on social networks, by an Organization of Franco-Spanish Artistic Promotion over a period of three months!... This type of artistic event has now taken off since the containment period due to the Coronavirus pandemic... Otherwise I will participate in early July in the EUROPARTFAIR exhibition in Amsterdam.
Can you describe what an average working day for you is like? Do you work on many creatures at once or one at a time?
As a photographer my work is not like a working day... The temporal and environmental capture of photography prevents any planning. At the most, the selection of images can be organized, and this part of the work is just as important to me as the shooting itself... No, I do not work on several creations simultaneously...
What makes your art different from others?
My photographic work is usually much more recognized by the Plastic Arts world than by the Photography world in particular... Much more than visual, my approach to photography is above all sensory and emotional... This pronounced taste for the "physical" in photography probably makes me closer to sculptors and painters than to photographers! (as a reminder, my photographic work has been recognized by the Academy of Fine Arts).
In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society? What do you hope that others will gain from viewing your art?
I am afraid that the artist plays a less and less important role in our current society, which seems to be more and more materialistic... However, it seems that a certain awareness, more naturalistic and even philosophical, is appearing... Maybe then art will be able to speak to more people again... I think that for the people who appreciate my work, it will allow them to see their own sensibility expressed, whether it is at the sensory, sensual, or emotional level! Perhaps also, that the sight of this photographic work will reveal for some their own sensitivity...
What’s the most important element in your artwork?
I think that the most important element in my photographic research is to try to transmit the sensation and the emotion of the subject itself well beyond its visual appearance... For a long time, the forms and the matters were preponderant in my work, but I wonder now if it is not the light captured for itself that would be the most important element!...
That being said, are there any lessons that you’ve learned that you could pass on to the younger generation of artists as they begin their journeys?
No, I don't think lessons are useful... and let's say at best only for oneself, and not really transferable! But in my opinion, it is the authenticity of the artist and his work that will give value to his "journey" ...
What’s on the horizon for you?
In the immediate future, I will participate in the EUROPARTFAIR show in Amsterdam at the beginning of July... Afterwards in November I will also participate in a big exhibition in Avignon and have my first solo show in New York!...
