Tu respires fort is a work that, presented in the Échos-Graphies exhibition, served as a second doorway at the entrance to the art center. It consists of five strips of latex onto which Emmanuelle Vequeau has tattooed the recurring motifs of a snake and a rose found in tattoo art.
The work resonates strongly with the skin. It serves as a signal of the transition from one space to another—from the outside to the inside and vice versa. The necessity of passing through the “latex envelope” engages the visitor in a tactile experience that can evoke either the sensation of a caress or the unpleasant feeling of an assault. Emmanuelle Vequeau chose latex for its organic qualities. It is a translucent material that can take on different hues depending on its thickness. It does not dry out and therefore requires regular application of talcum powder—a characteristic that evokes the idea of breathing.
Alexandra Gillet
"Emmanuelle Vequeau transforms sewing and embroidery into an activity that is both fierce and refined, subverting their original utilitarian and ornamental purposes. [...] The artist explores the theme of the body by experimenting with mediums that indirectly reference various laundry tasks (marking, signing, mending), inherited from family traditions that are intergenerational and, above all, feminine. Emmanuelle Vequeau deliberately works from home. As both a place of the body and a place of life, the home-studio is a constant space for coexistence and self-reflection-an inseparable element inherent to the works' conceptual framework. The prominence of the private sphere should not be viewed as a separate space but understood as a personalized time to be shared-generous and conducive to conversation and exchange."
Fanny Poussier, exhibition catalog Échos-Graphies, La Criée centre d’art contemporain, Rennes, 2001
Production : La Criée centre d'art contemporain, Rennes
