Thomas Vauthier

This series took the form of a photographic investigation aiming to collect particular forms of co-existence of vegetal elements with their urban contexts. The forms of urban vegetation that interest me are those that manifest a certain impermanence. This impermanence is synonymous with fragility because of their provisional development and their sometimes harmful status. These informal forms are indeed in danger: whether it is by a pure and simple weeding, urban redevelopments, or reconstructions. With this series, I wish to make visible these precarious forms of life which are the symbol of a vital survival within the ruins, the rejects, and modernity. A plaster sculpture, depicting a 鉢植え (hachiue, potted plant generally in front of urban house), was also placed in a 床の間 (tokonoma, traditional alcove) in the manner of a 生け花 (ikebana, flower arrangement).

Thomas Vauthier was born in 1993 in Paris. After studying architecture, he joined the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, in the Photo / Video department (2013-2018). He is interested in the limits that circumscribe the notion of art-privileging the potentials of artistic practice rather than the production of artwork – which he explores through the concept of de-work. His practice unfolds around three axes: collective and performative events, urban photographic surveys, digital paintings.Since 2018, he has been developing, within the EUR ArTeC and as part of his Ph.D. at the University of Aix-Marseille, a new research axis around Japanese socially engaged artistic practices (art projects, アートプロジェクト). Thomas Vauthier is currently carry out a study stay in Japan, at the Tokyo University of the Arts, with the support of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT research grant).