`Feux & Fantômes’ by Jordane Prestrot
The series Inner Fires / Inner Ghosts (Feux & Fantômes) by French artist Jordane Prestrot was created in June 2015 just a few days after his father’s death. His work is typically quiet and gentle but the loss of his father prompted many questions that didn’t seem to have an answer – what kind of spirit animates the body, what inner fire motivates someone, are there inner ghosts ready to escape?
Jordane’s Inner Fires / Inner Ghosts series tackles these questions and asks if we can ever be truly naked. Through pared-back distortions, the images reflect the possibility of nakedness obscured by movement and noise. The jagged outlines in flux point to the elusive nature of being nude and even to the possibility of an ethereal soul, encapsulated by the white cloud of mist that surrounds the body.
What kind of spirit animates the body, what inner fire motivates someone, are there inner ghosts ready to escape?
The images convey the struggle of assuming a true nature and inhabiting a body. The constant transformation of identity is visualised in a narrative-like form that brings the subjects in and out of focus through long exposure nude and self-portraits. The red filter overlays on Jordane’s images tease out the ‘inner fire’ and flickering movement of inner desire that has bubbled over.
Pictures from this series have been published by Team Triden Press in Yetzer Hara as illustrations of poems by Jake Duff and to celebrate the launch of the book, Jordane hosted an exhibition in Manchester, UK earlier this year. When it comes to his other work, Jordane is inspired by geometry, endless melodies, borders and subways, buildings, trees, Beethoven, Bukowski, Araki and the Virgin Mary.
