Caroline Le Méhauté, Ce que la terre retient - Passage Sainte-Croix, Nantes

Poetic, philosophical, scientific, and political, Le Méhauté’s work explores the interactions between humans and their environment.
Many of her pieces are titled Négociations, evoking both humanity’s ongoing dialogue with nature and the sculptor’s own engagement with materials.

Peat, coconut fiber, stone, cork, clay, beeswax, and mycelium form the substance of her work. Through research residencies and investigations close to home, she examines soils – their composition, history, and future.

For this exhibition, she brings together a series of new works linked to Nantes, created from peatland, market-garden, and forest soils, alongside earlier pieces stemming from research and experimentation focused on the earth beneath our feet.

While celebrating the richness of soils, the exhibition also addresses the threats they face. One example is Négociation 95 – Décoloniser les imaginaires (“Decolonizing Imaginaries – 2018), made from materials found at an illegal dumping site in Normandy:

“Among various discarded materials: motor oil pooled at the foot of a mound. The resulting form evokes a bathtub, a feeding trough, a watering basin, and a sarcophagus all at once. The soil containing the oil has cracks. Ready to give way, it is thirsty. This sculpture reflects the depletion of land and the scarcity of water.”

Find out more in the press kit