• Could you please present yourself in a few words ?
I’m Antoine Carbonne, Igrew up as a teenager in the Parisian suburbs. After having spent a childhood traveling with my parents in Senegal and Scotland. The memories of these travels – despite being a blur – made me feel out of place.
From an early age, I started to create imaginary worlds, sometimes close to mythomania. I arrived at the preparatory school of visual arts with the intention to latter attend Les Gobelins to study animation drawing. Instead, I found an outlet in drawing and painting.
Later I tried to get into Les Beaux-Arts de Paris where I studied with Philippe Cognée. There I developed a practice in painting and video. I received a master’s degree (DNSAP) in 2011.
After that, I followed a career in painting, inspired by a narrative of the everyday. I am now represented by the Virginie Louvet Gallery in Paris and for the past five years, I have been a practicing artist in Brussels.
• Now based in Brussels, could you please tell us more about the city and how you get inspired by it ?
What initially brought me to Brussels is my friendship with artists from Les Beaux Arts and La Cambre, who shared a large space called De La Charge. A mix of sound/video studios, ateliers and an exhibition space that is well known by the locals. The space creates the perfect coherence between independent creation and local art.
I was split between Brussels and Paris when my atelier in Vincennes burned. The fire accelerated my move, so in the end I found an atelier with Lance Pierre collective.
Brussels has a dense and intense artistic life.
The freedom that the city offers is due to three factors : the presence of institutions, like the Wiels or La Loge and the opening of
Kanal-Pompidou focuses on contemporary creation. Also affordable ateliers. And the third one being artist-run spaces and art galleries that work hard, both intellectually and commercially.
Belgium collectors who are very involved in the careers of the artists they support.
• Could you tell us more about your collaboration with Hermès ?
I started to work with Hermès in 2015 when Antoine Platteau took the position as head of design (after Leila Menchari) at the flagship in Feaubourg Saint-Honoré street in Paris.
Her assistant Clémence La Sagna discovered my work at an Exo Exo Paris 20 exhibition. Former student at Paris-Malaquais, she developed a close relationship with Beaux arts artists, so she simply asked me to be part of the team for the 2015 summer window.
They were looking for colourful and light paintings inspired by David Hockney, and at the time I was really influenced by his work.
That opportunity gave me a fresh new start at Hermès and was a proposal that worked well with my work. Since I have worked for four more windows and projects, including a silk square entitled Au bout du monde.
• What’s bring you to the Art and mostly painting ?
During my studies I met the artist Thierry Costeseque who played a role in that. But I think it’s a long process that I am still not able to explain.
• What about your future projects ?
I’m taking part in an exhibition at Miroir in Poitiers, about the tapestry of the XVII century to present days, in partnership with the Cité de la Tapisserie in Aubusson city.
The exhibition at Emily Marant’s showroom is named French cliché.
Another tapestry work is present in the Hermès autumn windows.
Virgine Louvet gallery and I, hope to be part of Art Brussels in April 2020.
Finally, there is an exhibition project with Raphaële Lecoquierre at Thunder Cage in Aubervilliers for November 2019 and in a secret place for 2020 in Brussels.
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