It was in Saint-François, in a house overlooking the sea, that Roselyne Bandou welcomed me to tell me about her passion for sculpture. It's been fifteen years since she started, and she talks about it as if it were yesterday. All the memories, all the sensations remained intact.
It all starts with a chance encounter
On the evening of her first opening, Roselyne Bandou felt a little apprehensive. It was the first time that she presented her work to people outside her circle of relatives. But the reaction of the public reassured her:
“I saw in the eyes of the guests that they really liked my work, they were impressed by my sculptures. That's what encouraged me to keep going."
I saw in the eyes of the guests that my work really pleased them, they were impressed by my sculptures. That's what encouraged me to keep going."
Astonishment can be read in Roselyne's eyes and expressions, but nevertheless: of the 46 pieces presented, more than half will be sold the same evening!
Let's go back to the beginning of his love affair with clay. Initially, Roselyne planned to go into pottery instead. And it is during a dinner, a little by chance, that she meets the one who will give her the idea to try the art of modeling. She begins to chat with one of the guests, who later became a very dear friend. While discussing, they decide to enroll together in a modeling course.
From the first session, Roselyne felt that she could not content herself with reproducing the proposed models. She has a real crush on matter and the sensations of the earth. Very quickly, she decides to go straight to her home. In her burst of enthusiasm, she documents herself on the different types of clay, on the possible techniques of modeling, she makes many tests to better understand the material. And that's when her creativity explodes: Roselyne feels caught up in the earth.
Precision work
When she shows me around her studio, I see how carefully and delicately Roselyne Bandou handles her sculptures. There is a kind of touching attachment between her and her creations. Moreover, Roselyne tells me that she even had a hard time parting with her first works. But gradually, she realized that the people who acquired it had a real crush and could only take care of her sculptures.
And we understand his precautions when we know all the steps leading to the finalization of a piece. Prepare the earth, model it, hollow out the piece obtained. Because to prevent a piece from bursting in the oven, it must be hollowed out, separating it into two or more pieces, according to the needs of the shape. Then comes the time to put the pieces together, reshape the cutout to make it disappear, fire the piece, and... give it a patina. The patina can be made up of pigments, paint or engobe according to Roselyne's imagination. She varies the pleasures, producing well-polished works or letting the traces of the “tool” appear. It then remains to prepare the base on which the work will be presented.
So many obligatory passages to ensure the expected result. And it was in her workshop, as a passionate autodidact, that Roselyne learned each of these gestures, each of these manipulations.
A movement from within to others
With Roselyne Bandou, sculpture is a movement that comes from the stomach, from within, from the soul. She talks about it as she moves her hands, rubbing the insides of her fingers together. We understand that she likes the sensation of touch, she likes to caress her sculptures, and it is this desire that she transmits to the viewer of her works.
All his work is built around full, soothing forms. It is mainly women who are represented, with exaggerated proportions in a stylized way. Sometimes lascivious, in meditation, sometimes in motion, dancing, perhaps laughing... They are always round, and they invite you to be caressed.
“The curves inspire me and it is quite naturally that the shapes are born from the clay that I enjoy shaping. During an exhibition, a young girl confided to me that my stylized representations of curvy women had reconciled her with her body.”
How, in this example, not to feel the great sensitivity of Roselyne and how much the impact of her work on others affects her. She remembers every anecdote, every emotion she provoked in visitors to her exhibitions. In my opinion, this is a sign of the incredible generosity and empathy she shows towards others.
“Three times during exhibitions, I met people who described to me how they felt about one of my sculptures. They had exactly the emotions that I myself had felt while creating this sculpture, while modeling it.”
Yes, you read that right: the purity of the lines and the simplicity of the shapes manage to convey emotion as clearly as sound reaches the ears. As if her own energy passed through the room and was then transmitted to the viewer.
The creations of Roselyne Bandou
To welcome roundness and femininity into your home
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