Mémoires Carbone: Atramentum

Some forms travel through time.

They may lose their name, their function, sometimes even their history. 

Yet they survive and endure.

Through a sensitive and experimental photographic approach, as well as a deep exploration of meaning and materiality, Maxime Passadore is drawn to classical forms that continue to be transmitted from one era to another.

Neo-archaeological fragments and contemporary artefacts come together in a new body of work where past and present converge. Removed from their original context, these photographic works question what is passed on from one period to another, from one culture to another, from one generation to the next.

Atramentum, the carbon black of ancient inks, composed of mineral pigments and soot, has long been associated with calligraphy, the preservation of knowledge and the transmission of stories. Here, Maxime Passadore employs it as a material of revelation. As the invisible thread running through the exhibition, it absorbs almost all light, removes distractions and focuses attention on the presence of the work itself and its evocative power.

This exploration of material and transformation connects the works to a broader reflection on time, transmission and the enduring nature of classical aesthetics. 

The triptych of Assyrian Lamassu occupies a central place within this collection.

Heliogravure becomes a meeting point between ancient craftsmanship and contemporary creation. Copper and its gradual oxidation shape images whose very materiality bears the marks of time.

The figures of these protective spirits reappear in a renewed form, as enigmatic presences that have crossed the centuries to manifest themselves once again in a contemporary language.

With Mémoires Carbone, Maxime Passadore explores the mystery of sacred figures and symbols that travel through time, transform themselves and continue to inhabit our collective imagination.

For it is not the artworks themselves that travel across centuries.

It is the stories they inspire, and those who continue to carry them forward.