Sylvain Lefebvre’s new body of paintings is a manifestation of an imagined journey into an unseen forest. This summer, the artist worked in his home in the South of France during its hottest conditions on record. Heatwaves and wildfires will be how this period will be remembered by the artist and by the people of his country. The conditions provoked the artist to journey into his imagination to explore an abundant forest as yet untouched by humans. This exhibition documents his journey.
In the unseen forest, he discovers species of trees that have never been seen before. They are completely plausible species that may exist somewhere in the few corners of the world that have not yet been discovered. Perhaps they are trees of the future.
How is it that when we look at nature, whatever form it takes, it always appears balanced, while the trees that make it up can grow in such unbalanced ways… twisted, diagonally or horizontally, struggling to find their way towards the light?’
In this visual narrative, complemented by Sylvain’s words, we are asked to consider nature’s history without humans.