Olivia Frémineau 

Saab 900 Turbo 

Saab 900 Turbo

About the artist

It all seems to be teetering on the brink, as if just built: the setting looks like it already knows that only photography can hold them together in this world. Olivia Frémineau’s compositions, often shot in the cramped space of a studio, play with their conditions: as minimalist, often ephemeral constructions, they don’t take themselves too seriously. Olivia Frémineau’s photography often revolves around gestures: moving objects, reversed functions, wacky associations… she can shoot a paper plate flaunting a perfect row of sugar-cube teeth, or even flowers levitating above their vase.

Interview

What brought you to photography?
The will to
master a project or installation from start to finish, from the idea to its final representation. Initially, it was a way of keeping track of my ephemeral sculptures/installations (I started my studies at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in the “Object” section). Only later did photography become an end in itself, a desire for images that comes prior to the installation and drives its creation.

Your photography is often playful, even in the fairly restrictive field of still life: do you always consider the studio as a playground?
Playfulness
always plays an important part in my images. It’s true that the studio becomes a playground, to the extent that I really have a lot of fun constructing my images, I never refrain from anything. I have a very childish approach to the construction of my images, I play around with the elements. I don’t see still life as a restrictive pursuit, although it does have its constraints. Still lives are quite handy in a sense, because they can be shot anywhere, require very little space, and be done with “bits and bobs”. For my still lives, I use a lot of objects from my everyday life, which I combine, transform etc.

There is often a sense of delicate and tenuous balance in your images. Do you draw preparatory sketches? How much room do you leave for chance in your creations?
I always carry a notebook with me to jot down ideas and impressions. Some of these ideas develop from writing to sketch form. They are always rough sketches that help me to get started on my images. Naturally, it can happen that the ideas/objects/installations change in the course of the work session. Chance often allows you to go further than what was originally intended. That’s interesting. I love to divert objects from their purpose, hence the surreal aspect in some of my images. I like to play with shape, but also weight, volume, and the idea we have of these objects.

Your work often involves staging or set design: do you mostly work alone or with a team?
When studying, as I said, I started with Objects. This stuck with me, so I have created many of my images on my own. But it does happen, especially for commission work, that I use someone to help me, and sometimes contribute the expertise I lack.
In future, I would like to work with more people, open up my work, and more importantly give it a new dimension (in every sense, including size).


Limited edition, numbered and signed. 

Selected shows and awards

Selected publications

Details

& order

Olivia Frémineau 
Saab 900 Turbo

2012

Technical information

Pigment print on Ilford Gallery paper - limited edition, numbered and signed certificate.

Dimensions

18 x 27 cm, Edition of 50 150.00 €




By the same artist

Olivia Frémineau


By the same curator

ART LIGUE, Spring 2013