Marcel Jomphe – Circle Foundation for the Arts

Describe your creative process.

I meticulously observe the world of organic structures where its unique intelligence unfolding in infinite forms fascinates me. These forms are reinvented in my imagination in poetic works of beauty or as a window into a metaphysical realm. Thus, creating a distinct style and identity of my own, which pushes me to diligently work for hours on detailed drawings or series of photographs. Finally, my artwork is an intimate interface between the real and the imagined. My creative process uses observations that are slowly distilled over time in my subconscious, and finally rendered in detailed drawings and photographs either traditionally (brush and ink, graphite) or digitally produced. These days, I even go so far as to blend my drawing inside my photographs.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

I make art mainly to capture the impermanence of beauty, the Japanese have an expression that sums up this dual perception of "mono no aware" aestheticism. It means "beauty tinged with sadness". There is no beauty without deterioration. The Japanese expression "wabi sabi" also applies to this notion of impermanent beauty. I capture these moments of impermanence to show them and make them last a little longer. These moments are used as a basic influence and inspiration, which are then reinterpreted, therefore, moving further and further away from the first level of realism.

What is the role of the artist today?

There are two things that unite us all -- our dependency on nature and the universal language of art. In response I would also quote Abbas Kiarostami (Iranian film director, screenwriter and producer): "The purpose of art is to extract us from our daily reality, to lead us to a hidden and difficult to access truth."