SYMBIOSIS | KARINE ROCHE
The increase in urban populations and rising number of metropolises throws the whole questioning. The opposing definition of ‘City versus Nature' is an ambiguous one since a city is also part of the ecosystem and nature. Humans create by reflex faced with an environment's new living conditions to which they must adapt. Pollution of water, air and soil has triggered increased ecological awareness.
The idea of harmony between a human habitat and the place of settlement is not new; organic architecture is a conceptual approach that links the building with its environment. This concept was developed at the beginning of the 20th century and still continues to exist and change with evolving knowledge in symbiosis.
KARINE ROCHE’s paintings in SYMBIOSIS creates a cosmology in which nature returns to the city center. We can see how composition seeks an alternative rhythm through the network of organic and geometric lines of landscape that intermingle. Photographic views of various geographical locations are visual Karine’s memories that allow us to reconstruct imaginary landscapes. A high density of lines alternate with spaces; these voids are not absences but necessary pauses. In work, perspective is intuitive and acts like an illusionist’s tool to create depth. Thanks to this tool, rhythm is no longer only horizontal or vertical but actually gains a third dimension which absorbs our gaze and immerses it in a vision where urban and vegetal are complementary.
The concept of 'City versus Nature' highlights the broader question of the vision of the future and the search for a better fit between our lifestyles and the environment. The latter would certainly help resolve ecological and social crises.