Galerie Odile Ouizeman is showing Anne-Sophie Emard’s immersive installation “Twiinning Trees, Le bois est un document,” which poetically links two lime trees (tilleuls)… one located in the gallery’s indoor garden, and the other, a remarkable 400 year-old lime tree growing on botanist Sylvain Pouvaret’s arnica herb farm (located in the Auvergne, Puy-de-Dome).
The exhibition is a collaboration with “le projet Silvae and the Conservatoire d’Espaces Naturels d’Auvergne” (to December 10, 2024)
“Twinning Trees” is the first chapter of Emard’s “Arbre-Monde” project, exploring nature not just as a setting, but an actor in its own right. By making a link between an art installation in Paris to a tree —which has been officially designated by “l’Office national de forets” as an “Arbre Remarquable”— the artist stresses the necessity of defending the planet’s trees… whether rural or urban!
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people. One of the most significant services that trees provide is the sequestration of carbon. Deforestation, fires and climate change are all threats. We can’t save the climate without also saving the trees.
Anne-Sophie Emard’s work draws inspiration from the landscapes of the Massif Central, which she has been exploring for over twenty years. The exhibition is an invitation to rethink our relationship with nature in general… and trees specifically.
Anne-Sophie Emard, “Twiinning Trees, Le bois est un document,” Galerie Odile Ouizeman (to December 10, 2024). Hours: Thursday-Saturdays 2-7PM. Maison Galvani, 8, rue Galvani, 75017, Paris www.galerieouizeman.com