Terracotta sculpture of a contemplative monkey by Valem, presented with photographs by Pierre-Yves Payet at Espace Saint-Pierre des Minimes in Compiègne. Article for ART MAG.
Twenty years of sculpture for a sensitive ecology
Dates: 1–30 November 2025 • Venue: Espace Saint-Pierre des Minimes, Compiègne
A manifesto-like exhibition. Bringing together 46 sculptures and 25 photographs by Pierre-Yves Payet, Valem composes a living narrative where matter breathes, memory resurfaces, and ecology becomes desire. It is tender, powerful, and fully contemporary.
Terracotta sculpture of a seated nude woman, expressive rough textures against a blue backdrop. Exhibition at Espace Saint-Pierre des Minimes in Compiègne. Article for ART MAG.
Four periods, one continuous breath
- 2002–2014 — Horses and nude figures: rough surfaces, restrained tension, surprising softness
- From 2015 — The animal as a portrait: felines, giraffes, pachyderms, each endowed with a singular identity
- 2018–2022 — Senegal remembered: village life, zebu cattle, portraits and African light
- 2023–2024 — The Ties that Weave Us: the arrival of plant life. Cherry trees, baobabs and kapok trees become mediators of our interdependence
This progression, revealed room by room, draws a clear thread: portraying the living means giving back its momentum.
Bronze sculpture of a resting giraffe, rough texture suggesting the living matter. Exhibition at Espace Saint-Pierre des Minimes in Compiègne. Article for ART MAG.
Sculpture as a portrait of the living
Valem starts from an inner emotion, then seeks the exactness of proportions. Bronze, terracotta, reinforced plaster: the raw textures reveal fragility, while anatomical precision captures the gaze. From a puma to a human body, every piece is a portrait that moves without moving.
Sculpture of a child’s face partially opening to reveal a tree, textured terracotta on a black base. The Ties that Weave Us series, shown in the retrospective at Espace Saint-Pierre des Minimes in Compiègne. Article for ART MAG.
A sensitive ecology, without demonstration
Here, commitment never lectures. It opens desirable imaginaries.
A pensive chimpanzee, a human hand intertwined with its fingers: kinship, alliance, shared responsibilities. The tree is not a backdrop. It is a protagonist.
A photographic dialogue
Pierre-Yves Payet’s photographs do not document, they extend.
Tight framing, shadow play, vibrating textures: the image becomes sculpture, the sculpture becomes image.
The exhibition is read as a duet.
Peach- and white-plumed pelican on a black background, long and colourful beak, elegant profile. Photograph by Pierre-Yves Payet, presented in the Valem retrospective at Espace Saint-Pierre des Minimes in Compiègne.
Practical information
Exhibition: Ode to the Living — Valem
Where: Espace Saint-Pierre des Minimes, Compiègne
When: 1 → 30 November 2025
+: 46 sculptures, 25 photographs by Pierre-Yves Payet
The full feature is published in ART MAG Issue #29.
Order the print magazine to discover the complete portfolio and exclusive visuals.
FAQ
Who is Valem in a few words?
A French sculptor of the living world, trained through practice and observation. She works bronze, terracotta and plaster to create sensitive portraits of animals, trees and humans.
What is the guiding thread of the exhibition?
Twenty years of creation in four chapters. One same breath linking movement, memory and sensitive ecology, culminating in plant life joining the cast.
What distinguishes Valem’s work?
The encounter between raw matter and anatomical precision, shaping portraits of the living that avoid literal illustration.
Why speak of “sensitive ecology”?
Because the exhibition favours experience and emotion over discourse: it makes us feel our alliances with other beings.
What is the role of Pierre-Yves Payet’s photographs?
They form a second narrative that reveals reliefs and vibrations, echoing the sculpted volumes.
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