Sorbonne Artgallery presents an exhibition that focuses on a new curatorial and artistic initiative, based on an open dialogue initiated in Paris between Elena Posokhova and Katherinne Fiedler. This interaction, embedded in a creative process informed by a study of territorial connections, aims to support the development of the participating artists' practices and to establish meaningful links with their territories.

The landscape is not only considered a geographic place, a natural or cultural space, but also as a "way of perceiving." It becomes a tool for understanding the roots of our worldview and our identity, while simultaneously revealing the influence of context on the creation of new images. This research-based presentation offers an immersion where memory, material, and imagination meet, and where artistic creativity unfolds as a means of knowledge and dialogue between territories. The works presented by the artist outline vectors for an in-depth exploration of the creative process, seeking to demonstrate how the natural-cultural code interacts with new information, how our
territorial identity shapes the perception of emerging realities, and how it contributes to the complex intertwining of our actions within the fabric of our environment.

Through a discourse on coexistence that intersects ecological, cultural, political, and aesthetic concerns, the artist and the curator meet at the crossroads of a new territory. They seek to unite their efforts in its exploration while simultaneously developing their individual practices. This encounter between an artist and a curator is part of a collaborative project by the studio in Paris, supporting artists from island and coastal territories while engaging with local initiatives. The curator's work at the studio, integrated into her doctoral thesis at Paris 1 University, in the Doctoral School of Visual Arts and Art Sciences, includes curatorial research sessions to develop artistic projects and strengthen the connection to the territory through immersive experiences.

 

"The artistic process, co-evolution in its interaction with various fields, practices, and ideas, is at the heart of my attention. The connections between the natural and cultural contexts of different coastal and island territories, both linked and separated by seas, constitute my area of action. This space resonates with the practice of artist Katherinne Fiedler whose imagination has been shaped by her life experience in the coastal areas of Lima, Peru. In her work, she reinterprets fragments and remnants from the landscape through sculpture, photography, and video, linking them to the social and cultural characteristics of the place. Here, in the geography of the French capital, these directions converge as we trace possible paths between significant sites of exploration, initiating a collaborative artistic inquiry enriched by new forms of communication, narratives, knowledge, and memories.

Cartography finds its starting point in the narrative of the 2014 exhibition catalog The Sea in Paris. 45 Million Years Ago, which refers to what geologists call the "stone of Paris," or Lutetian limestone, forming the impressive architectural bodies of the city, admired worldwide. Extracted from underground quarries, this material bears witness to the presence of a tropical sea that left fossilized remains of ancient marine creatures in the layers of stone walls, thereby affirming a deep connection with nature.

The artistic journey continues through the poetics of juxtaposition and the interplay of natural and mechanical materials in the artist's works: leather, metal, and stone. Within this research framework, an associative analysis can explore the relationships between the environment and industrial interventions, directing attention toward the rivers and water systems of Paris as territories of
memory and ecological tension. Through conversations and introductions in Paris, this line of interest has started to emerge as a future direction and will serve as a point of departure for Katherinne´s later line of investigation focusing on the case of the Bièvre — once connected to the Seine — to be developed through new artworks in a later phase.

Thus, the observation and interpretation of symbols, translated through the artistic prism, allow for the gathering of materials for a multilayered work, presenting the creative process as a living performance synchronized with the landscape. Acts of field research and collaboration can lead to the establishment of an exchange space that activates the imagination. An intrigue emerges to observe the continuity and outcomes of the work, suggesting that the development of innovation potential becomes possible, particularly in a different environment. In our mobile world, where we frequently move from one place to another, such sessions of collaborative in-situ research can help find a point of stability and form communities within which to share values, strengthen the sense of belonging, and deepen the connection to place."

Elena Posokhova, Curator

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An artist recognized on the international scene, Katherinne Fiedler has received numerous distinctions, including the Leonardo Grant for Creators and Researchers in Visual Arts from the BBVA Foundation (2023) and the CIFO Emerging Artist Grant (2017). She has participated in prestigious residencies such as Casa de Velázquez (Madrid), Flora Ars Natura (Bogotá), Bilbaoarte (Bilbao), Utopiana Pro Helvetia (Switzerland), and LARA (Panama). Her work is held in major international public and private collections. 

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  Elena Posokhova is a contemporary art curator and project manager based in Paris, and a former resident curator at the POUSH cultural center. She specializes in the relationships between nature and culture in the Mediterranean region, developing the MARLANDS project in collaboration with museums and institutions such as ES Baluard Museum, Ca’ Foscari University, Spazju Kreattiv – Malta National Centre for Creativity, among others. She also directs the Art and Science program at the Universitat Catòlica de València. Her work focuses on the creative process through collaborative projects involving artists, scientists, and the public. She seeks to create spaces for co-creation and new works, while analyzing the factors that influence creativity. 

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