Interview: Marc Raynaud
Luca Curci talks with Marc Raynaud during FUTURE LANDSCAPES, second appointment of SENSES ART FAIR 2023, at ITSLIQUID Monti – Rome Art Space.

Originally from France, Marc has worked and travelled through many countries without ever stopping drawing. Promoting discovery and dialogue between cultures and generations, he plays with differences and contrasts. Thanks to the Ateliers des Beaux-arts de la Mairie de Paris, he has devoted himself to collage for ten years and has developed a very personal style and technique. In a world overwhelmed by photography and immediacy, he finds in this slower path the opportunity to contemplate and admire what surrounds him and to give thanks to creation. With his ateliers located near Capri, Italy, and on the banks of the Adour, near Biarritz, Marc has recently produced fifteen travel diaries from Africa to Asia and from Biarritz to the Gulf of Naples, with texts in harmony with his images.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Marc Raynaud – Art is a three-letter word that Allows to Represent Them, “them” being either visible – a scenery or a creature- or an invisible feeling or an idea. My collage work, which is neither drawing nor painting, is an original path between the figurative and the abstract. It is a slow work of patience which allows me to contemplate the beauty of creation. My colored stickers, which stimulate different parts of my brain and soul, allow me to express the sweetness of my moods Thereby, although it is not my purpose, most relatives and friends get to know me better. Thanks to my art I feel more appreciated and understood which is a totally unexpected and pleasant outcome.

LC – What are you currently working on?
MR – Thanks to Itsliquid Group Exhibition, I came to Rome and am now spending a few days drawing and making collages in the streets of Rome. It may finish into a new Travel drawing book.

LC – How do you choose your subjects?
MR – I always have many themes in my head that I would like to work on. For instance, I want to make a series of images about my village and its region, both in Italy and in France. I also want to do something about reflections. So I am collecting photos and pictures about reflections that inspire me. Then it is like a journey across time. I let myself be guided by intuition, the unexpected and the role of chance.

LC – Is it a reasoned or an instinctive process?
MR – When working with my newspaper cut-ups I only let myself be guided by the color. Until the very last piece of paper is glued to the image, the whole picture can change. Serendipity is my friend.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular?
MR – I like to translate the fragile balance between the visible and the invisible, between reality captured by the eye and inner life.

LC – Is it your medium of expression?
MR – I also like to write and have edited fifteen travel diaries from different continents with texts and images. Some older people tend to appreciate my literature more than my images, which I can understand. Thanks to my art I hope I will leave a mark while most of the other activities that I have carried out in my life are already forgotten. Who remembers you six months after you have left your company or work?

LC – How do you feel when you see your work completed?
MR – I find hard practising my art, except when it’s over. And it is difficult to say when a work is finished. Should I stop or refine, at the risk of weighing down the work and overloading it? Finishing well remains a challenge for life!

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artwork presented been created for the exhibition or as a part of preexisting works?
MR – The production selected by Itsliquid Group was my most recent production.

LC – What is your idea about ITSLIQUID GROUP?
MR – It seems to be a well-established platform engaged in many topics relating to art.
 
LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
MR – Yes and It has been very easy working with Itsliquid Group contact person, Amaride.