Portrait of Ismael Drawing

Generally speaking, I am interested in encounters and moments of exchange. If I chose the portrait to express myself, it is first of all for its unique temporality: because it can be spread out over dozens of hours, it creates a space for dialogue, puts two individuals face to face who must get to know each other. The choice of the portrait is also political: it is a medium that ennobles, gives a historical standing and authority to the person portrayed. For several years, I have been painting series of portraits in collaboration with neighborhood or community associations in France and the United States. By painting the faces of people from here – residents of Aubervilliers or the 19th arrondissement, migrants from the Stalingrad camp – and elsewhere – the “Faces of NOLA” project – I strive to unite these diverse communities around a meaningful project and to bring them into the prestigious tradition of portraiture. I also work on landscapes of Tahiti where my grand-father lived in the sixties as a captain in the marine, and japan landscapes.