Hélène de Gottal

From trait to matter.
From line to hair.
There's a whole universe that opens up?

The memory, the memories, traces, the spectrum and secrets are the center of the artistic approach of Hélène de Gottal.
Her research process started with drawings, and then she started to collect hair, accessories and to create new objects.

There are various haircuts, the hair can be shaved, lost or hidden, it is synonymous of fertility, sensuality or repulsion. The symbols connected to hair in science, history, literature and religion enrich the artist?s work.
The paper is the support of our collective as well as of our intimate memory.
The hair is the memory of our body, a genetic ID, the DNA.

The artist explores ancient and modern techniques such as Bruges lacework, crochet, felt, but also video.
She imagines a space between a lab and a curiosity cabinet, a reference to still life and to vanities.
Her work is a reflection on the human condition and its finitude through an aerial and light aesthetic, sometimes permanent and sometimes ephemeral.

Hélène de Gottal lives and works in Lasne, Belgium.