In botany, a rhizome is a thick underground stem of plants whose buds develop new roots and shoots, such as ginger, hops or lotus.

The rhizome is also an “image of thought” which emphasizes fluidity and multiplicity. The movement of the rhizome resists organisation, instead favoring a nomadic system of growth and propagation.

For me the idea of the rhizome translates visually as a free association of signs, words, color, symbols, therefore, as an image of the unconscious.

Not unlike automatic writing, my paintings start off with an almost blind process : I trace thin cuts with an engraving tool through a thick build-up of canvas, paper and glue; then liquid color will run through the creases and tears and spread into unexpected blots and shapes.

“A root is always a discovery. We dream it more than we see it”
—G. Bachelard