ABOUT

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Barbara Henri scours antique and flea markets searching for objects that have been forgotten. Her most sought-after items are paper archives of all sorts, family photos, fashion magazines and abandoned post cards. When they reach her workshop, these objects are transformed into fodder for experiments. Stacked on top of each other, embroidered or animated with stop motion technology, these paper remnants are brought to life as collages, music videos or fanzines. The artist uses these archives from the past to retell modern stories. She is especially attracted to objects with iconography and charm: the weight of paper and the outdated colors used in magazines published from the 60s to the 80s. The female form is a recurrent theme in her work. When they haven’t completely disappeared from view, their faces appear, but are sometimes undistinguishable, hidden behind fragments of a wall or precious jewelry. Women who have faded away, their bodies dismembered or brutalized - the associations she makes depict the fate of women and the place their bodies hold in our societies. By putting these pieces together, Barbara Henri conceals, reveals and appropriates the images by reconfiguring their content and form. Text : Chloé Thomas (https://www.collectioncroisee.com/en/)