The small town of Luzech in the Lot Valley is hosting an extraordinary exhibition throughout September featuring the works of three artists who practice a distinctive art form called "photographism." This unique showcase, running from September 6-25, 2025, at the Maison des Consuls, presents an innovative blend of photography, painting, and mixed media that defies traditional artistic categories.
The term "photographism" was coined by Patrick Kerstein, one of the three featured artists, to describe this unconventional artistic approach that combines photography with various other techniques and materials. Rather than fitting into established art classifications, this hybrid form represents a plastic art that exists somewhere between photography, painting, and collage, creating something entirely unprecedented in the art world.
Patrick Kerstein's work exemplifies this innovative approach by combining photographs with physical materials. His images capture graphic and poetic details from ordinary objects, often discarded items that reveal unexpected beauty. A piece of sheet metal or an old wooden plank becomes transformed as rust stains and grain patterns reveal their hidden artistic potential. What makes Kerstein's work particularly distinctive is his decision to use the actual photographed material as both the support and frame for the images, creating a dialogue between the physical matter and its photographic representation.
This technique results in artworks that blur the boundaries between object and image, tactile and visual experience. The photographs seem to float on the very materials they depict, creating a unique interplay between presentation and representation that challenges viewers' perceptions of both photography and sculpture.
Lucile Lock, the second featured artist, describes herself as a "recycling artist" who believes that the marks of time and traces of wear add soul to materials, like scars that testify to life's challenges overcome. Her use of recycled materials not only stimulates her inspiration and amplifies her creative pleasure but also represents a political statement and philosophical approach to art-making.
Like Kerstein, Lock enjoys mixing genres and connecting disparate elements to create new narratives. Her canvases combine photographs, paintings, and various objects, weaving together different materials and techniques to tell fresh stories that emerge from the synthesis of seemingly unrelated components.
The third artist, Nina Adler, is a self-taught Danish photographer who has resided in the Lot region since 2000. Her preferred subjects focus primarily on human themes including street photography, portraits, and documentary work, though she also captures architecture and landscapes with equal skill and sensitivity.
Adler's artistic process extends far beyond simply pressing a shutter button. During the shooting phase, she experiments with uncommon techniques such as double exposure, intentional blur, and long exposure times. However, it's in the printing process where she truly expresses her originality and pushes the boundaries of traditional photography.
Adler specializes in alternative photographic techniques, particularly cyanotype and vandyke processes that create distinctive visual effects. The cyanotype process involves brushing a solution of ammonium iron citrate mixed with potassium ferricyanide onto watercolor paper. A negative is then placed on top of the treated surface, and ultraviolet rays create the final image. Areas of varying density produce different shades ranging from deep Prussian blue to pale blue or white, creating a positive image directly on the support in beautiful cerulean tones.
The vandyke technique differs from cyanotype in its light-sensitive solution, which consists of green ammonium iron citrate, tartaric acid, and silver nitrate. This process produces beautifully contrasted prints in brown tones, reminiscent of the color palette used by the 17th-century painter Van Dyke, from whom the technique takes its name.
The exhibition represents three distinct artistic universes that visitors are encouraged to discover at the Maison des Consuls in Luzech. The show runs daily from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM throughout its September 6-25 run, with an opening reception open to the public on Saturday, September 6, beginning at 6:00 PM. This unique presentation offers art enthusiasts and curious visitors alike the opportunity to experience firsthand how contemporary artists are redefining the boundaries between traditional media and creating entirely new forms of artistic expression.
