I came across the works of
photographer Cerise Doucède
whilst wandering around the Marais - an area that had previously been quite a
mystery to me, but after this trip has become a part of Paris that I have grown
to love! With an abundance of gem-sized restaurants, cute boutiques, and enough
art galleries to put the Tate's collection to shame, Le Marais was the perfect
backdrop to my most recent trip to Paris.
Back to Doucède and her beautiful
photography. I stumbled upon her 'Égarements' show at the Inception Gallery, a
bright space whose stark white walls was showed off Doucède's colourful and
light-hearted compositions. Doucède is definitely one to watch - in 2012 she
was the winner of the Royal Monceau photography contest. Having studied graphic
design, Doucède discovered photography as a tool to aid her work, before it
overtook her practice to become her medium of choice.
The series deals with the subject of
dreams, of which Doucède writes: "The subject of dreams has always
interested me, notably moments of ramblings, drifting in and out of thoughts,
and distractions. I often find it amusing to imagine what people on the streets
are thinking about."
One can certainly sense this looking at
her photographs. The distant looks on the protagonists' faces convey the
daydreams one indulges in to escape an otherwise mundane reality, as well as
the surreal, dream-like setting - it seems that Doucède really does straddle
between reality and fiction. The compositions are very imaginative, with
string-hung props dominating the shot. Doucède makes no attempt to conceal
these strings, bringing to home to contrived nature of these scenarios.
Roro, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm
Carole, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm
Gaspard, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm
Pierre, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm
Petit
Dej, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120
cm
