by Ariadna Zierold
French artist Mathilde Roussel’s sculptures are conceived like living organisms. During her creation process, Roussel progressively gives up control over the materials she uses by letting them find their own form of existence. She selects mediums that are both fragile and resistant: paper pulp, graphite powder, incised rubber or plants. This choice allows her to explore unstable forms and observe their continuous mutation.
Mathilde is interested in the intimate link that connects the skeleton to our muscle structure — allowing us to challenge gravity. Standing requires the collaboration of an infinite number of body parts that constantly adjust our balance according to the movement we operate. Through incision, opening, recovering and suspension, the artist forces the forms she produces to find their place in space, thus expressing and revealing the movement they contain in themselves. The sculptures oscillate until they find their pivotal point.
