Portrait of Caroline Corbasson ©Andrea Montano

The fine arts graduate is among the next generation of French contemporary art. After questioning the cosmos in a series of sculptures, drawings, paintings and installations, Caroline Corbasson presents a more personal film this fall as part of the “New Worlds” program. Back from summer, she shares her inspirations with us.

Caroline Corbasson is the one who observes the infinite and makes us see the invisible. Whether large or microscopic, this “infinitely” nourishes the imagination of this French artist born in Saint-Étienne in 1989. Video, sculptures, drawings, she loves nothing more than creating a dialogue between supports, materials, universe... No compartmentalization for this artist, passionate about science (astronomy, astrophysics, geology, botany, etc.) and reader of poetry who has been inspired by the great outdoors since early childhood. Caroline Corbasson grew up in Canada and then the United States, fascinated as a child by the beauty and hostility of their off-scale nature. With a predisposition to look up to the sky and observe the cosmos since she is the granddaughter of an optical engineer who notably worked for NASA.

©Andrea Montano

Trained at the Saint-Martin School in London, the versatile visual artist immersed herself for good in the cosmos by discovering, as a student at the Beaux-Arts in Paris, the astronomy encyclopedias kept in the library of the art school. His first works speak of stardust. Once she graduated, the institutions that supported her were among the most scientifically renowned: CNRS, Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory, CNES, Paranal Observatory in Chile, École Polytechnique de Lausanne. Presented in France and internationally, his drawings, photographs, sculptures, paintings and films have sometimes evoked this border impossible to cross by the human eye, beyond which we no longer see, despite the progress of technologies and the he invention of ever more efficient astronomical instruments, thereby inviting us to go beyond our anthropocentric perceptions.

©Gregory Copitet

Man's place in the universe, or rather his absence in this void, is always implicitly questioned. Recently, the woman whose enlightened work reminds us of the quest of the American artist James Turell has returned to earth – so to speak – by putting the observation of humans at the heart of her practice. Her new creation “Isaac”, a short fiction film shot near the Pic du Midi Astronomical Observatory, will be shown this fall as part of the “New Worlds” program of the Ministry of Culture for which she was a laureate. Before flying to the land of the Rising Sun to draw the outlines of his next project.

©Andrea Montano

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Modern and contemporary art: de Hilma Af Klint to Francis Alÿs

A thousand times Hilma Af Klint! A pioneer of abstract art, this Swedish artist (1862 – 1944) is an inexhaustible source whose work nourishes me, inspires me, guides me. To delve into his work there is a superb catalog raisonné in seven volumes (!) published by Thames Hudson. The exhibition “The Nature of the Game” by Francis Alÿs is on display until January 7, 2024 in Brussels at the Wiels art center. It is of great strength. It simply made me cry because it was so beautiful. The documentary aspect of his work and the humility that emanates from it touch me. I also think of the poems written in pencil that the contemporary artist Ugo Rondinone publishes on Instagram. By turns light as air, serious or funny, they are always of great delicacy.

Cinema: de “Anatomy of a Fall” to “Aftersun”

As soon as it was released, I saw “Anatomy of a Fall” by Justine Triet and recently “Aftersun” by Charlotte Wells. A must see. They are both wonderfully written. These are two directors that I admire and who give me the desire and the courage to pursue my desire to make films.

Literature and poetry: de Kae Tempest to Edouard Louis

This summer I didn't go on vacation much so I traveled through these works which particularly touched and accompanied me. First “Let them eat chaos” by Kae Tempest discovered through his music and whose strength immediately grabbed me. It was then a bit by chance that I came across his books in the poetry section of a bookstore. She is one of the artists with whom I felt instantly connected. I recommend the bilingual version published by l'Arche. In poetry, I also like “Night Sky with Exit Wounds” by Ocean Vuong, a genius of my generation, whom I admire enormously and with whom I would love to collaborate one day. I just started his “Time is a Mother”. I add to my pantheon the extraordinary Etel Adnan and his collections “Time”, “Seasons”, “Sea and Fog”, “Night”… His painting led me to discover his poetry. I always have his collections near me. I also think of “Scenes from Married Life” by Ingmar Bergmann (and the two brilliant series that resulted from it, the original and the revival). I had already liked the series but the book is a masterpiece. Finally, Edouard Louis with his “Who killed my father” as well as “Change: method”. These two books make me want to read all of his other books. Upsetting and essential, they really shook me up this summer, and continue to haunt me. I end with Robert Bresson and his “Notes on the Cinematograph” which I open regularly at the moment and which I recommend to all those who make or want to make films.

Concert and album: de Brad Mehldau in Lana del Rey

I had the chance to see Brad Mehldau in concert in Montreal in June. He moved me a lot with his presence: he seems to be infinitely there and infinitely elsewhere when he plays. I love his song “Ode”. I listened to Prefab Sprout's song “Trawl the megahertz” on repeat all summer as well as Billie Eilish and her sublime melancholy album “Happier than ever”. Finally, I am a fan of the magnificent collection album “Violet bent backwards over the grass” by Lana del Rey, an artist that I love infinitely for her rare sincerity and authenticity.