Mountain, island and totem
This solo show of Nathalie Beras « iMountain, island and totem » in the Land of Morning Calm is to unfold like an archipelago of islands crowned by the mountain; a mountain with sharp ridges in an enlarged setting - an archaic, timeless and untamed nature. In Nathalie Beras’ dialogue between shapes and colours, the image of the triangular mountain symbolises stability and spirituality. Through the blue of the sky and the sea, she invites us to a world of wonder and truth. Through whiteness, she celebratesthe pureness of life and calls us to rise far above the darkness. Her stark, silent, powerful forms turn their subjects into an object of contemplation and connect us to the universe. The mountain, island and totem, is the origin of all worlds.
«The island/mountain that varies in each of my paintings is a surface for meditation, a totem catalysing common emotions. Our identity is, first and foremost, a relation, composed of the people we meet and with whom we build ourselves. If we want to share the beauty of the world, we must learn to remember together.»
From Martinique, like Édouard Glissant, and a follower of his philosophy, Nathalie Beras wishes to honour the memory of that great French poet, whose words sometimes appear hand-drawn in her paintings.
«The painter is like the poet, who chooses, elects in the mass of the world what must be preserved, sung, saved, and what i s attuned to that song. And rhythm is ritual force, as well as a force for awareness.» Édouard Glissant, The Poetic Intention, 1969.
