{"id":219,"date":"2017-11-01T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T08:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/?p=219"},"modified":"2026-06-20T08:11:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T08:11:25","slug":"yz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/yz\/","title":{"rendered":"YZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

YZ \u2013 FRAGILE PAPER, WITNESS TO OUR HERITAGES (SEARCHING FOR ONE'S ORIGINS IN THE EYES OF OTHERS)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

November 2017 \u2013 1350 words<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIRST STEPS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you become an urban artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started painting in the street when I arrived in Paris in 1999\/2000. I initially worked with spray paint, mainly painting faces, before discovering stencils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the project <\/strong>Open Your Eyes<\/em><\/strong> Did it mark this turning point in stenciling?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I quickly wanted to explore another way of intervening in the city, so as not to use it simply as a gallery. It was through this desire to reflect more deeply on the context that the Open Your Eyes project was born: the idea was to work on a visual, then place it in different locations throughout the city so that, when connected on a map, they would recreate the image. The city and the artwork were thus intimately linked, the urban space becoming imbued with meaning depending on the chosen locations. This project also encouraged people to look differently at how we live together and prompted them to explore more deeply what is presented to them visually in order to develop a critical perspective. In this way, the city gradually established itself as both the material and the subject of my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You worked a lot on portraiture and the gaze, as in the series <\/strong>The eyes are the window to the soul<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice of name Open Your Eyes<\/em> This stemmed from the fact that Eyes or YZ were diminutives of my first name, Yseult, but also because my work at the time was primarily related to the gaze. I used the phrase a lot. \u00ab"The eyes are the window to the soul."\u00bb<\/em>, and these frontal portraits from the beginning thus directly questioned the identity of each person, what we are through our roots and our life experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ROOTS AND IDENTITY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your work has often served as a starting point for you to carry out a quest for personal identity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have multiple origins: my mother was English, my father French from Guadeloupe. I've always needed to know where I came from, as it was a topic my father often discussed. In fact, long before I began my artistic practice, I was already engaged in this search for identity. I traveled extensively, living in England and Senegal, and later returned to Guadeloupe to explore these roots. Even today, living in Abidjan is an extension of this quest. All my projects are connected to this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This universal dimension is reflected in your work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I've always been a bit of a nomad, having been fortunate enough to have parents who instilled in me this openness to the world. But I find that street art is inherently a very international practice, if you consider how artists are led to travel to bring their projects to life. For me, having international artists is actually one of the defining characteristics of this movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TECHNICAL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You often use a projected image that you then rework.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do a lot of photomontage work beforehand. I take my photos, rework them to use several of them. The overhead projector will allow me to visually represent my idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you choose the materials you use?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I work in the studio with materials that have an organic and natural appearance. That's why I use ink, wood, or paper. When I'm not using these elements, I use recycled materials, trying to adapt them to the creative context. For example, for my series Empress<\/em>, I collect objects from the place where I live because they already have a history and bring an additional dimension to the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your use of ink and wash gives the work an aged look, which places it in a different way in time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started creating washes using India ink. They allow me to paint my shadows and highlights more simply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice of paper is also an important element of your approach, allowing you to maximize the effect on the chosen wall.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, I used kraft paper, before switching to tissue paper. It's an interesting material because it allows the paper it's glued to show through. This creates a slightly old-fashioned look, and the passage of time adds an extra touch of poetry. Like a fine wine, the work gains depth and value with age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TO BE PART OF A CONTEXT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How important is the location of the collage to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pasting my work on a blank wall doesn't interest me; I seek out places imbued with meaning. For example, the Amazones project in Senegal was displayed on huts inhabited by women. Traveling allows me to develop long-term, contextual work inspired by the place, its inhabitants, and its heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The context then takes precedence over the visibility of the work as such.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I'm not particularly seeking visibility: when I put up a poster, I don't know how long it will last. I've had posters torn down after only half an hour, before they were even dry. The moment I take a photograph of my work, I let it go; it moves on with its life, and I'm no longer attached to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my first pieces was stolen two days after I installed it. It affected me deeply, but I realized that I had to work primarily for myself and that the image would serve as a form of testimony. Urban space is collective; everyone has the right to reclaim it. What bothers me are the people who steal pieces from the street to profit from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the techniques used in the street, collage is certainly one of the most ephemeral.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This great fragility interests me. In the subjects I address, part of the tension stems from the use of the material. The gradual deterioration of the work lends it a certain poetry and depth. This is why the intention of the project will always take precedence in my aesthetic choices. Tissue paper makes no concessions to this mindset: if I wet it too much while trying to glue it and there's a breeze, it tears and is immediately destroyed. Its fragility contrasts with the themes I explore, which are sometimes harsh, whether they depict Amazonian warriors fighting for their territory, empresses, or minorities struggling for their culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEGACY OF GREAT FEMALE FIGURES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You previously said you didn't want to be defined as a woman in your work. What is your perspective on this issue today?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I've been painting in the street for seventeen years, constantly evolving throughout my life. At the time of...\u2019Open Your Eyes<\/em> I found it interesting that people thought it was a man. For other subjects, like Lost in the City<\/em>, It didn't matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I address subjects that are deeply personal to me. The history of the Dahomey Amazons fascinates and inspires me as a contemporary woman. It's important to create shared narratives so that everyone can connect with them, especially young women. I drew inspiration from the journeys of women to build my own identity, particularly Miriam Makeba and all her struggles. It's essential to talk about these women, these figures who fought and left their mark on history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research surrounding these figures therefore occupies a very important place in your work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are projects that require a lot of research, such as Amazon <\/em>For this project, I worked on various figures such as Yennenga, Nadte Yalla, and Aline Sitoe Diatta: queens, princesses, and other heroines who fought against the colonizers. Knowing the subject allows one to break free from preconceptions and portray these women in a different way. I also worked with an antique gallery owner \u2013 Galerie M\u00e9moires Africaines \u2013 who lent me antique accessories from different African ethnic groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Empress<\/em>, I'm currently working on a project exploring the importance of headdresses and their significance within different communities, whether religious or used to define gender, age, or social status. A project like this can sometimes take several months to develop. After a year and a half of working on this one, it's still in its early stages.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

YZ – PAPIER FRAGILE, T\u00c9MOIN DE NOS H\u00c9RITAGES (CHERCHER SES ORIGINES DANS LE REGARD DES AUTRES) novembre 2017 – 1350 mots PREMIERS PAS Comment es-tu devenue artiste d\u2019Art urbain ? J\u2019ai commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 peindre dans la rue en arrivant \u00e0 Paris en 1999\/2000. J\u2019ai d\u2019abord travaill\u00e9 \u00e0 la bombe, peignant essentiellement des visages, avant de […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":220,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219\/revisions\/220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}