HELLO THOMAS, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO JOIN OUR INITIATIVE AND FOR TALKING ABOUT YOUR ART PRACTICE. TO START, YOUR PAINTINGS SEEM TO BRING A THEATRICAL SETTING TO ART HISTORICAL REFERENCES. HOW DO YOU APPROACH CONSTRUCTING THESE SCENES AND WHAT ROLE DOES THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY PLAY IN SHAPING THEM?

I have always thought of painting as a representation of life and therefore, inseparably, as a representation of movement. I am influenced by cinema, and this is reflected in my paintings. I conceive my compositions as scenes a bit theatrical, since, as in theatre, nothing is real in painting, yet it allows us to access the truth about the human condition. I am also in love with many painters from all periods, which is reflected in my paintings, and I do not shy away from stylistic breaks.

AS YOUR REFERENCES RANGE FROM POUSSIN TO THE WACHOWSKIS WHICH CREATES STRONG DIALOGUES BETWEEN THE CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY, HOW DO YOU USE ART HISTORY TO EXPRESS THE EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN THE FIGURES CENTRAL TO THE SCENE?

Although the film The Matrix had a big impact on me, it is not one of my references. Poussin is, as are many other painters: Van Gogh, Bacon, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Picasso, Matisse... the list would be too long. I also use film stills as a starting point, but it can also be photos or works of art. When a painting from the past is the starting point, I feel like I'm continuing the work where the original author left it, and I feel a closeness despite the centuries that separate us.

HOW IS COLOUR THEN INCORPORATED INTO THE EMOTIONAL INTENSITY OF YOUR WORK? IS ITS ROLE TO HEIGHTEN THE EMOTIONS IN WHICH YOU ARE TRYING TO CONVEY OR TO CREATE NEW TENSIONS WITHIN THE SPACE OF YOUR COMPOSITIONS?

Once the composition has been established, the painting becomes an abstract space where colours clash, harmonise, contrast or unite. I keep in mind the need to make the action understandable and the emotions perceptible, but the choice of colours gradually imposes itself on me, almost independently of me. It is then up to me to make the painting ‘work’, as one solves an equation, and sometimes it is necessary to break up the initial composition a little.

WHAT DREW YOU TO TAKE PART IN 4BYSIX’S INITIATIVE AND HOW DOES ITS MISSION TO PLATFORM SOCIAL CHANGE RESONATE WITH YOUR APPROACH TO PAINTING AND THE ROLE OF CONTEMPORARY ART IN SOCIETY?

I cannot ignore the context in which I live; social injustices in this world affect me every day, and every day I feel powerless. This initiative gives me the opportunity to take small steps towards restoring balance. The subjects of my paintings sometimes evoke current events and the difficulties faced by a large part of humanity. Art must shed light and make people think, but concrete action is also necessary.

SUSTAINABILITY HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY URGENT TOPIC WITHIN THE ARTS, FROM MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION TO THE BROADER ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT OF CREATIVE WORK. HOW DO YOU ENGAGE WITH THE IDEA OF SUSTAINABILITY IN YOUR PRACTICE, AND IN WHAT WAYS DOES IT INFORM THE CHOICES YOU MAKE IN YOUR PAINTINGS OR ARTISTIC PROCESSES?

One of the recurring themes in many of my compositions is man's relationship with nature, or even man's return to nature. Showing man in nature, showing nature to a predominantly urban audience (and to myself) brings it closer to us, makes us want to observe it more closely and preserve it. Painting teaches us to observe reality, to marvel at the world.

YOU RECENTLY WORKED ON ONE OF 4BYSIX’S UNCONVENTIONAL TARPAULIN CANVASES, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE PIECE YOU HAVE CREATED FOR US AND IF THE MATERIAL SPARKED ANY ART HISTORICAL OR CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATION?

This is an imaginary sea rescuer helping a shipwrecked person, perhaps a migrant, to climb aboard her boat. As in the rest of my work, the situation can be perceived as tragic or joyful; the coexistence and alternation of contradictory emotions is something I strive to represent.

GIVEN THAT YOUR PAINTINGS COMBINE A RANGE OF FLAT SPACES, BLURRED PASSAGES AND SPRAYED TEXTURES, HOW DID YOU FIND WORKING ON THE TARPAULIN? DID YOU HAVE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES OR COMPROMISES TO EXECUTE THE FINAL WORK YOU HAVE?

I usually work on glued canvas with a grainy surface. The canvas from 4BYSIX is very smooth and ultimately closer to a traditional surface, such as the wooden panels used at the beginning of the Renaissance, I suppose. This unsettled me at first, but it allowed for great finesse in the woman's face. The paint also dries more slowly, and I had to work more ‘while wet’ and, paradoxically, in thicker layers in certain areas.

FINALLY, TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE HAS IN STORE FOR YOU, ARE THEIR ANY NEW PROJECTS OR TECHNIQUES  YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I have just finished an exhibition in Paris and am starting to work on new subjects. I never work on series from A to Z; there are always new subjects that appear and old ones that reappear too. It's more like a universe that is expanding, with humans remaining at the centre.