Discover the contemporary work of Sylvie KOECHLIN

Sylvie KOECHLIN Sylvie was born in 1956. As a child, she attended drawing courses at the Dijon college of Art. Arrived in Paris in 1973, she followed the drawing courses at the Academies Charpentier and the Grande Chaumière in Montparnasse. In 1976, she went into advertising illustration. She worked with several women’s magazines (20 Ans, Marie-France, Marie-Claire, Cosmopolitan). In 1986, she decided to stop her activity in the “Arts Appliqués”. From 1986 to 1989, she attended the sculptor Manfredi Quartana’s modelling lectures and learned how to model from life. In 1989, she met the sculptor Coutelle who taught her in his studio how to sculpt in the stone block.In 1994, she set up her own studio in Belleville in Paris. After taking part in several group exhibitions, she had for the first her own exhibition in the Selmersheim Gallery in Paris in 1995. In 1997,with Asnières town (92) she won her first public monument, dedicated to the Palatine Princess. Meanwhile, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais several exhibitions and events started with the creation of the “Bass player”, carried out in the Marquise marble quarries (62). In 1998, within the context of corporate sponsorship, she was commissioned by the S.I.B. (Printing firm of Boulogne-sur-Mer) a sculpture made of Boulogne marble, “Impressions” and based on the firm’s brand image. At the end of 2000, she carried out a monumental sculpture made of Britain granite; this sculpture named “Nature”, has been privately commissioned.In April 2001, Concarneau town invited her for a personal exhibition. In January 2002, she carried out the posthumous portrait of M.A. Martinez made of Volvic lava.In November 2002, next to a personnal exhibition in the “Histoire Naturelle Museum” of Lille, the geology department purchased one of her sculpture made of Volvic lava named “Trois Soeurs”. In January 2003, “La Maison Française d’Oxford”(UK) invited her for a personnal exhibition.DAUM France edited her work of Art named KEA made of “pâte de verre”. In november 2003, the agricultural college of Coulogne (Pas-de-Calais, France) commissioned her for a portrait of Emile Dupuy Abbot, founder of the college. The sculpture is made of Boulonnais marble.In January 2004, Boulogne-sur-Mer council confides to her the realisation of two monumental sphinx made of Lanhelin granit to complete the Auguste Mariette monument. The town council ordered it for the cultural event “Boulogne-sur-Mer 2004” (delivery expected in June 2004) In june 2006, the Estaimpuis council in Belgium commissioned her for a monumental sculpture made of Boulonnais marble dedicated to « The Old Bargeman » 270 x 150 x 100 cm being in place on the roundabout Leers-Nord–Province of Hainaut. In 2007 she installed a monumental fresco made of marble and bronze 300 x 100 cm on the topic of “Printing since Gutenberg time” in the head office of SIB (Société d’Impression du Boulonnais) Saint-Léonard (62) Today, Sylvie KOECHLIN lives and works near Boulogne-sur-Mer/ Pas-de-Calais in France Member of the Salon d’Automne Society ParisMember of the Taylor Foundation since 1997. ABOUT CARVED STONE"The specificity of the stone directlty impacts on my inspiraton. As I respect the stone’s requirements, I’ll discover and magnify its features. The combination between “bumps” and “holes”, fullness and emptiness, makes one reflect upon oneself and one’s relationship with nature. To reveal the sculpture’s sensuality, I’m helped by the subtlety of light whose movements and infinite variations reveal the shape’s inner tensions. It is the taming of light and its effects on the surfaces which will give a living strength to the sculpture. From an inert mineral, I create a glimmer in the dark, softness in roughness,a vibration in silence, a movement without motion, life in inert stone becoming a sculpture." Sylvie KOECHLIN, sculptor. Selected passages from "92 Express" by Alix SAINT-MARTIN about Sylvie KOECHLIN's art workThe care with which Sylvie Koechlin works with the stone she has selected is well known. Once the natural material has been chosen, Sylvie lets herself be guided by its intrinsic qualities until she is in complete harmony with the rock.“Every stone has its own characteristic and structure which point directly to the inspiration I am yearning for” she writes.She applies this approach every time, carving the natural rock, letting herself be guided by the internal spirit of the material without any preparatory sketch or model.The artist strives to connect with what is contained within the raw material, whether it be marble, stone or alabaster, helping the work emerge little by little to the surface. At all times there is a complete mastery of technique, cutting just a millimetre more than required might ruin the whole work.Real talent, a strong character and a daring approach lie what is behind the creation of these exceptional art works. They are born of an intensely emotional and physical relationship between the artist, her subject and the grain of the stone within the framework of complete freedom of expression and mastery of techniques.Constantly, we find Sylvie investigating the theme of the human form through her work. Through her sculptures the deepest essence of humankind is revealed while retaining a mysterious, unfathomable and fascinating dimension. Alix Saint-Marin.