Festival Art Souterrain

In the series Déviation, which started in 2019, Blandine Soulage stages bodies in urban architecture, deviating from their daily, optimized paths. The artist explores the aesthetic and poetic potential of still movements of dancers and acrobats occupying urban spaces. Although the alluring graphic and chromatic compositions suggest a harmonious integration of the bodies with the city, the unusual poses highlight a sense of discomfort, exhaustion, and vulnerability. Some figures appear to be recovering from a fall, while others confront the moment of impact.

The installation, created from recycled materials, is inspired by the scenography developed by Soulage and designer Luisa Bissoni. It is situated at a central hub where trains, subways, and buses converge, surrounded by the headquarters of several major banks. This location invites viewers to pause their journeys and engage in an anti-productive experience of contemplation.

Soulage lives and works in Lyon. She holds a Master’s degree from Sciences Po Lyon in Management and International Cultural Initiatives (2005). She began her career in production with the Institut français, the Opéra de Lyon, and the Biennale de Lyon. In 2013, she began her artistic practice by studying photography at the École des Gobelins. Her project Déviation won awards from Les Rencontres d’Arles x Fuji in 2023 and LensCulture in 2024, and it has been exhibited in France, the United States, and Chile. She is represented by the Koslov Larsen Gallery in Houston, Texas. She is a founding member of the photographic magazine Chabe! and the photographers’ collective of the same name. Her images have been widely published in newspapers and magazines such as Libération, Les Inrocks, Télérama, Le Monde, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and ArtPresse. She also teaches photography at the École Bloo in Lyon.