About Sinuosités

The Hong Kong fish-drying tradition is very conspicuous in Sheung Wan, where I have been living since I arrived in Hong Kong. It reminds me of a technique I developed in 2012 while at school Les Beaux Arts in Paris. It is based upon latex balloons and masking tape. I use this very organic material, which is somehow both textile and bas-relief, in various ways. I sew into it fabric pieces which creates a coral-like patchwork and emphasizes the innate marine quality of the pleated tape. I also treat ribbons as calligraphy lines and juxtapose them on different kinds of watercolor paper to reach a more structured graphic expression." 

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Raphaële de Broissia -bio 

Born in Paris (France) in 1985, Raphaële de Broissia studied both Textile Design at “Françoise Conte” school and Fine Arts at “École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts” in Paris. Her inspiration stems from her studying patterns, materials and colors, which she learned from her two main teachers: English sculptor Richard Deacon and French painter Jean-Michel Alberola.

After focusing on sculpting and painting in school, she eventually turned to installation. Her work is deeply linked to each individual place she settles in, which she transforms using different media. Everyday materials, accumulations and metamorphosis are the key elements that influence her work. She uses nails, balloons, newspapers, masking tape, orange peel, books etc. boldly brought to a new meaning in unexpected places. She is also influenced by Haute couture techniques and know-how, which she studied in school and practiced for five years while working for Chanel in Paris.

After her graduation from the Beaux-Arts school, she created the In Fieri association (latin for “In progress”) with ten young artists. Every project the collective undertakes consists in settling in peculiar places, such as the cellars of a castle, the courtyard of a convent, the banks of an underground river… The challenge is to respect the very identity of the location while transforming it through artworks.

Raphaële relocated in Hong Kong in September 2016. Her first exhibition took place in June 2017, in “Studio 9” in Aberdeen. Amongst the artworks she showcased then was the massive sculpture “Faire son nid“, made of the same bamboo poles and nylon strips as Hong Kong scaffoldings. Since then, she worked on several projects, including scenography work for Hermès and an installation in a tramway coach, based on multicoloured photographs negatives. In December 2017, she was invited to contribute to French artist Anne Leigniel’s collective artwork on the walls of Charbon art space. Her work on the wall involved cellulose paper, ink and caramel.

Since she arrived in Hong Kong, Raphaële has been perfecting a technique she introduced in 2012, based upon latex balloons and masking tape. She showcased a first series of artworks using this material in November 2017 in the “Visual Arts Center” Hong Kong. She pursues her research thanks to an artist residency at Charbon art space where she presents her latest works from February 8th 2018.