la poussière, 2008 - 2011

The Marie Amar’s large-scale photographs are depicting the discarded waste produced from the constant process of cleaning. Bits of dust, dirt, human hair, fibers of cotton and wool with synthetic materials are all mangled together to form a thin layer of the residue that can be found at the bottom of washing machines. This is the by-product of the desire to be always clean and smell fresh. Hidden in the bowls of the washing machine or swept-up by the vacuum cleaner, we would prefer that this residue of contemporary life should be out of view.

These photographs invite us to a sensory experience through a physical and mental perspective. The first impact is of a snow scape scene, but upon closer inspection, the image takes on shape and dimension, allowing the viewer to interpret the materials used.

However Amar goes into the intestines of our technological cleaning systems to find this hidden waste from which she creates her beautiful images. She may be on a quest to celebrate the unconscious waste of daily life, but in the process of making waste visual, alternating between accumulation and loss, she also brings to the forefront the concept that all things dissolve. Fibers of clothes are joined together with particles of the human body as they disintegrate over time. Regardless of the fact that her works are made up of principally industrial materials, the final effect is entirely unique as Amar carefully assembles each layer of constructed residue.

Paul Wombell

Extrait du texte de présentation de l’exposition d’ouverture de la galerie Brancolini Grimaldi. Londres. UK