STUDIO DIANE GIRAUD

A PRIVATE HISTORY: FRAGMENTS is a series of canvases presenting compositions made out of burnt papers and ashes for the most part with the addition of other media. The fragility of suspension, the passing of time, the sedimentation of memories that all encompass one self are some of the concepts that animate these pieces. In particular, the archeological nature of the work as well as the capture of personal histories find a poignant resonance in the premises of the Museu Nacional de História e da Ciência (MUHNAC). 

For these compositions, Diane Giraud went though a series of experimentations that led to the use of meticulous processes including taping and the gold leaf laying technique used to apply burnt papers and ashes piece by piece on the canvases. 

The artist chose to burn some books from her own collection including literary novels and anthologies, business law and political science essays as well as fashion magazines. Through trial, she developed an understanding of which texture, colour and size of fragments she wanted to achieve. In some of the canvases, remnants of the original pieces though barely recognisable pop out in fragments of wording or imagery. Never complete, they are left for the viewers to discover and wander in these unseen existences, juxtaposing metaphors of life and death in an attempt to demonstrate that everything is everything. 

The sedimentation of memories
The passing of time
The fragility of suspension

Full circle
Seeking the unseen
Capturing the fleeting

A protest against forgetting*
Hide and seek
Words and Images

Burning books
Trial and error
Fixing mistakes

Unfinished sentences
Sites under (de)construction
Secrets

* Eric Hobsbawm