Estelle Chrétien, a French artist, captures attention with her whimsical interventions in the natural world. Whether she's "sewing" a rift in grass or attaching a property tag to a rolling hill, Chrétien's land art prompts viewers to consider how we interact with nature and its significance in our lives.
In partnership with artist Miguel Costa, Chrétien's project "Les pieds au sec" examines the vital role that trees play in environmental preservation. Beyond preventing soil erosion, tree roots aid in sediment filtering and water quality improvement. The clay boot fitting around the tree's base visually represents what occurs beneath the surface, and Chrétien refers to these trees as "giants that work the Earth."
Other works, like "Dessous," are inspired by their specific contexts. During an artist residency at collectif des possibles in France, Chrétien adorned a double-trunked tree with flowered panties for this creative installation, reflecting the residency's location in a former textile industry. In fact, the cloth for the underpants was made there.
Chrétien's "Propriété" is a straightforward yet powerful statement on land ownership. By placing a painted door and a metal ring on a mountainside, she transforms them into symbols of ownership. This work revolves around a fundamental question she poses: "This is private land, but what about the landscape?"
Her ephemeral installations, dismantled after a few months, embrace nature as an extension of our environment. "Everything is blended, that we are part of everything, nothing is external, there are no borders even if we create them everywhere," she says. While she believes that art responds to changes rather than causing them, she hopes that these installations bring joy to viewers and encourage reflection on their relationship with nature.
Estelle Chrétien is a French artist known for her quirky land art installations inspired by the natural environment. She aims to bring joy to viewers and provoke contemplation about their own connections with nature.
