"Holy Contradiction" exhibition proposal
EXHIBITION PROPOSAL: Holy contradiction.
"Holy Contradiction" is an exhibition with one poem "Mother, what do you see?", the video “Great Oak”, and ten watercolors (22x30 when unframed, 26x34 framed).
They explore the shifting relationship between thought, emotions, gestural painting and pictural form. In this series, Fleur Thesmar paints from a deliberately neutral inner state. Her gestures echo natural movements, while her thoughts are held together by repeated words and emotional refrains such as “Mother”, “Cherry tree, full of wind”, or “Love”. These anchors function as quiet rhythms shaping the work.
This body of work emerged in response to reactions to Thesmar’s earlier nature-inspired paintings, which viewers described as either “oppressive” or “liberating”. These opposing interpretations led her to question: if semi abstract landscapes created in a contemplative state can provoke such ambivalent responses, how powerful is the artist’s inner state in shaping what ultimately appears on the surface?
The full series culminated in a poem dedicated to Thesmar’s mother.
Through layered transparencies, the watercolors evoke the simultaneous images of our contemporary screens, where perception is blurred and ideas are constantly interwoven with visuals. By weaving nature and spirit, memory and perception, the work seeks to open a space of dialogue with the viewer. What do they see - and what do they project?
The video is part of the “Penrose Project”, a body of work exhibited in Paris in 2024, which explores sacred geometry in nature. The golden ratio is a constant, intuitive presence within Thesmar’s spontaneous watercolors.
The painted artworks are watercolors on paper, framed in professional frames with anti-UV, anti-glare glass. The video is in 4k shot on a professional camera, and can be displayed on various screens. All are made by Fleur Thesmar, except the music in the video, made by Sixième Son, Paris, exhibited with their permission.
POEM: MOTHER
(by Fleur Thesmar)
Mother, what do you see in my
Cherry tree, full of wind?
You seek the spirit hovering
Over the ripples.
Despair and hope crossed long ago,
And love is enough.
Let’s shift our pixels,
Stroll from the forest to the meadow,
To horizons full of harvests,
Let’s join the choir and heroes,
Waltz and abandon our sorrows.
IMAGES
Video (up) 4k video, adjust settings
for HD
Watercolors: (up) ten of 22x30 inches
Most recent Exhibitions:
2025
Member of Bromfield Gallery, Boston (Solo show in April 26)
Proof of Concept, Cambridge Art Association (fiber art)
Sincerely, [your name here], CAA (photography)
Memories, Gallery Twist, Lexington
Memory in Cloth, CAA (fiber art)
TAG Gallery, 460B Harrison avenue, Boston
2024
The Penrose Project, with Nicolas Sultan, Clémence Boulouque, and Sixième Son, Paris, France
Paris, les Fleurs, Galerie 82, Village Suisse, Paris, France
La Passion du Chiffre, Ordre des Experts Comptables, Paris, France
Patterns in Nature, CAA
Embracing Uncertainty, Transcending Perfection, TAG Boston
2023-2022
Renaissance (group exhibit), Résidence du Consul de France, French Residency, Cambridge, MA
Safekeeping, Surface Design Art Association
Spring into Art, New England Watercolor Society, Plymouth
"Flow: Art inspired by Movement and Sound" Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA
National Tradition: reinvented, (textiles) curated by Erica Licea-Kane, Kathryn Schultz Gallery, Cambridge
Crossing Border, juried by Josephine Halvorson, Copley Society, Boston, MA
Celebrate New England, New England Watercolor Society, Plymouth, MA
Tiny but mighty, American Tapestry Alliance, Knoxville, TN
Surface Area, Group exhibition in Coastal Contemporary Gallery, Newport, RI
Biography
Fleur Thesmar (b. 1972, Paris, France) graduated from Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, and holds a Master in Sciences from Imperial College, London, UK. She is an interdisciplinary artist whose work encompasses watercolor, weaving, tapestry, video, and photography, with a focus on evoking the mystique and subtle strangeness of nature. After an early start in the arts, Thesmar returned to her creative path following a transformative shift from her former role as a lobbyist in France. Her move to the U.S. in 2015 and immersion in the expansive Californian landscapes sparked a renewed commitment to expressing nature’s shapes and rhythms in her work.
Thesmar’s process is rooted in environmental awareness. An allergy to preservatives in conventional paints led her to embrace natural, sustainable materials, reflecting her sensitivity to nature and forming a dialogue that invites viewers to pause, explore, and imagine. Her art offers a space for contemplation and discovery, encouraging a personal connection to the environment.
Thesmar’s works are exhibited in the USA and in France, and are held in private collections worldwide, including in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Her practice continues to evolve, guided by a commitment to artistic exploration, environmental consciousness, and a nuanced dialogue between the organic and the mystical.