From 18 June to 8 September, SLOW Galerie République is presenting a solo exhibition by the illustrator Lucille Clerc. In Pétrichor, the artist gives form to this natural phenomenon through a series of new illustrations, created specifically for the exhibition. In it, she explores the intimate connection between bodies, landscapes and subtle sensations. Rain acts as a trigger: it reveals what was buried, soothes and transforms ordinary space into a sensitive territory.
Petrichor occurs when several elements combine: rain falls on the earth and stones, releasing the distinctive scent of wet earth, and the natural oils in plants are released upon contact with water. During a thunderstorm, lightning can also contribute to this phenomenon by triggering certain chemical reactions in the air. From this encounter arises that invisible sensation of a charged atmosphere, which the exhibition translates into images.
We discover vast skies, more or less cottony in appearance, countryside landscapes in vibrant greens, lichens in shades of grey-green and saffron yellow, delicate mosses, and the presence of water in all its forms, both as subject and as medium.
Pétrichor’s Journey
Conceived as a journey divided into chapters, the exhibition personifies Pétrichor as a nymph, an elusive figure and guardian of nature.
She first appears in fragments, through a series of portraits in which her silhouette is hinted at without ever becoming fixed, like a ballerina skipping about, or a ballet of fireflies at nightfall.
The journey continues at ground level, with a series dedicated to mosses and microcosms: details that are at first imperceptible, but which, on closer inspection, reveal plant structures and sprouting shoots, forming a multitude of landscapes beneath our feet.
Alongside this, wider views unfold landscapes after the rain: forests, heaving ground and pools of water, alternating with more intimate studies that suggest the sounds and scents of these suspended moments.
As this progression unfolds, pavilions punctuate the path: hybrid architectures, somewhere between rock and plant, like miniature worlds to traverse. Everywhere, Pétrichor leaves traces of its passage, whether in the form of deposits, shedding, or layers of flowers, bark and leaves. Meanwhile, a series of compositions akin to a diary records these transformations using natural materials. The journey finally leads towards the infinitely small, with a cyanotype series inspired by Petri dishes, where the forms contained within the rain shift in scale.
The works are created using a variety of techniques involving natural materials: water-based screen printing, drypoint engraving, giclée pigment prints, as well as a series of natural inks made from elements collected and then left to settle in rainwater.
With Pétrichor, Lucille Clerc invites us to engage in a mindful experience: to slow down, observe what is not immediately apparent, and allow ourselves to be swept away by familiar yet often forgotten sensations.
Text by Camille Delory