Regards sur Matisse par Cecilia Paredes

With the support of the artist and the P Gallery in Ostend, the Doyenné Art Library presents a series of photographs by Cecilia Paredes.

Peruvian artist based in the United States, Cecilia Paredes has been developing a unique body of work for over thirty years, at the crossroads of photography, performance, and installation. Her work is particularly known for her camouflage self-portraits, in which her body blends into settings composed of floral, plant, or animal motifs.

Through meticulous body painting and staging, the artist seems to disappear into the image while remaining subtly present. Her work maintains a sensitive dialogue with that of Henri Matisse. Like him, she draws on the richness of organic forms, foliage, and decorative motifs to construct a poetic universe where nature becomes a source of metamorphosis.

The plant silhouettes that permeate her compositions recall the cut-outs and large floral compositions of the French master. Both artists seek to transcend mere representation, creating an immersive experience where color, pattern, and space compose a universal language celebrating the beauty of life.

Between appearance and disappearance, presence and erasure, Cecilia Paredes creates images of great symbolic power, where the body becomes a territory of transformation and dialogue with nature.