Inspired by the 16th century Italian painter, Arcimboldo who was best known for his portraits composed of plants or objects, this series regroups portraits collated from perspectives, objects, and scenes of a specific city with which the person portrayed has developed an intimate relationship.

Those portraits, also deviate from Arcimboldo’s work in key ways : not just because of the subject matter – the city – but because of the movement that emanates from the drawings. The presence of action inherent to urban life is evident at first sight. These portraits are immediately set in motion once one look closer.

While the person portrayed is animated by the very elements that constitute their environment, they end up animating the environment itself. The environment is humanized in a way that emphasizes the bonds one can develop with their city.

The drawing method here reflects this interplay. Elements depicted are employed both for their form and their content. Depending on the viewer’s proximity and perspective, the eye will favor one over the other, interpreting them entirely subjectively.