The idea for this exhibition, so singular and brilliant, was born several years ago, during the confinement, the first, spring 2021. For many artists, this period was paradoxically prolific. Emilie Sarnel showed us the notebooks that had accompanied her, pages and pages of delightfully simple and deceptively naive drawings, captioned with short, incisive, autobiographical texts, full of poetry and often very funny. Each page recounted an observation, a reflection, a moment spent in the strange no-man's-land we knew at the time, like a therapeutic, comforting rendezvous. It took time for the project to mature, and here we are in the exhibition ‘Nature sensible’, which the artist describes as ‘emotional landscapes, fleeting thoughts, life advice and notes of nothing at all’. She shares confidences, whispered advice, sensitive undertones and fleeting thoughts with us, taking us on a stroll through Paris in search of green spaces and escapades outside the capital, stolen moments of peace and quiet in a sensitive nature rediscovered.
The exhibition brings together some thirty paintings, ceramics and a few scarves. Colour plays a crucial role here, in conveying three emotional strands: melancholic blue, passionate and infernal red, and soothing green with a few hints of pink and yellow for joy.
Bio: Emilie Sarnel is an art director, graphic designer and illustrator who graduated from ENSAD (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris) in 2007. She has lived and worked in Pantin since 2016, after spending nine years in Asia (art direction for W+K Shanghai, W+K Tokyo), then freelancing in Hong Kong. A multidisciplinary artist, Emilie creates visuals and illustrations for brands, international and local clients, as part of visual identity, packaging, textile, commercial and editorial illustration projects.