I THINK I SEE IT – Interview with Nicolas Lefeuvre

As indicates the name of his exhibition SELF ARCHEOLOGY, Nicolas Lefeuvre is an archeologist – questioning not only himself but the whole human being, diving deep into his own emotions to transport us into a world of light, depth & mindfulness.

Working mostly with ink, from deep blue to dark, paper & objects, Nicolas Lefeuvre will be exhibiting in Singapore through a retrospective of his recent artworks SELF ARCHEOLOGY, LAND(E)SCAPE & THE STATE I AM IN.

While waiting to experience his work in person from Nov. 5th to 28th, as part of the vOilah! France Singapore Festival, let’s discover our conversation with the artist!

I do not know if I have always wanted to be an artist, but I know I always wanted to draw and paint. I was a shy child and it helped to express myself!

In 2000, in France, was released the beautiful film “The Vertical Ray of the Sun”. I booked a flight ticket to Vietnam right after I watched it.

I really admire the Asian diversity in people, culture, landscapes, history.. Asia is also full of positive paradoxes. Finally Asia taught me the art of ink.

Chanel taught me rigor, slowness, the love of a well done work, and the great tip of always looking at things differently.

So now, time plays a big role in what I do. Also, Chanel influenced the way I am using the best ingredients to make my own ink, and injected craftsmanship in my creative process.

A typical day is made of mindfulness first. I usually go swimming in the sea, early, all year long: it kind of purifies me for the rest of the day. Then I put on some music (baroque, electronic, …) in order to set up a soundtrack for the rest of the day, while mixing inks, writing, painting, observing, …

In 1987, 1988, I buried two boxes in the garden of my grandparents’ house, in the countryside, filled with objects dear to my heart at that time. With a desire to leave stains, traces, almost in an archaeological way. I never dug them up. So then, one day in 2020, while painting, I decided to hide sketches and messages in pieces of linen which I used as tools, and mounted them on the artwork.

I did so in order to go against the tide in an age where, on the contrary, you have to show off and glorify your life in order to exist. A time when you have to be fully transparent so as not to be criticized…

I love the opposite, the concept of “mystification”, and I regret that it is not more prevalent around us, in media, in art, …

Why shine by your presence when it is so much more elegant to shine by your absence?

Unveil nothing, indeed, remain mysterious… I love mysteries as they beget wonder.

I travel, I write down, I sketch and I record mentally lights, sounds, impressions which are important to me at a precise moment. Everything comes as in a storyboard for a film. Then there is a period of few months of creative process development. And I finally wake up, one morning, knowing exactly where I should go.

Jacques Tati said once « Trop de couleurs distrait le spectateur » ( « Too much color distracts the viewer » ). I go towards this direction : I do not want to “disctract” people, I want to give them hints, I want to invite them to a journey, to a moment of meditation.

Also, I am trying to give birth to light behind layers of ink, keeping in mind moments of the dawn and moments of the dusk, when shadow colors are between blue and dark blue.

I am trying to paint what I feel, not what I see. So I hope viewers will feel what I paint!

I often force myself to do nothing! I just sit, think, observe… That is when ideas and images come to my mind. It is almost like meditation !

I use ink, which is a difficult medium to work with. When it comes to the paper, you cannot play with it for day as you could do with oil paint. So, I often need to start again and again.

Moreover, the tools I am working with are objects (piece of wood, linen, Japanese wooden shoes…) which I need to master day after day.

And finally, inspiration is guided by people I meet, places I go and experiences I go through, so I do not overcome, I let them come to me and process them.

I have started a solo show in Paris up to Nov. 20, then I will be showing recent works in West Bund Art Fair in Shanghai (Nov.) and in Brussels Art Fair (January 2023).

When I was living in Singapore ( 2001-2008 ) I was often going to Taksu Gallery in Holland Village. But I also like the Gillman Barracks complex and OTA Gallery next to it!