gold

The gold is there
After considering the sea and water both as a barrier, border and passageway, I focused my reflection on the historical dynamics linked to slavery, the transportation of human beings, and the deep wounds that have marked the relations between Africa and the Caribbean.

The water, the sea, still contain the traces of this trade, this enslavement and these human wounds. Within these flows, I sought to understand what constituted true wealth. I came to this conclusion: even before gold or other material goods, the greatest wealth lies in the human being itself.

To translate this idea visually, I chose to symbolize the human figure through silhouettes made with genuine gold leaf. This precious material, applied directly onto the photographic print, simultaneously refers to the commercial value that human beings were subjected to, their intrinsic preciousness, and a form of reparative sacralization.

My work relies on alternative photographic processes: some images are analog, others digital, but all go through a final chemical treatment. This process inscribes the image into the very fiber of the paper, like a lasting trace, a gesture of memory and resistance.