Interludes

Monika Ruiz-B and Sandrine Arons collaborated on a photographic project that brings together their shared pursuit of tranquility through their connection with nature. Both discovered that when they need to recharge, they seek out peaceful, often solitary moments in the natural environments around them. They both enjoy capturing these places in photographs, as these locations shift perspectives and inspire their creativity. Each artist is drawn to specific spots that hold personal significance, places that feel welcoming, comfortable, and familiar. For Sandrine, comfort is found in the lush forests of her childhood in the United States or in the Camargue region near her home in Montpellier. Each place has its own unique scent, light, and power. Photographing during moments of deep personal contemplation helps her to refocus and start anew. Monika, on the other hand, seeks out natural locations that allow her to feel free. Her favorite spots include the calanques of Marseille, where the distant horizon invites limitless exploration. She is captivated by mountains, whether they are those in her native Colombia or those she encounters in her travels. As they shared their photographs with each other, the two artists realized that while Sandrine often captures intimate details of the landscape, Monika focuses on the broader view. Perhaps Sandrine's background in psychology drives her to delve closely and intimately commune with the parts that make up the whole, while Monika seeks expansive spaces that allow her to breathe, vast and majestic places that invite contemplation. Despite their different photographic approaches to nature, both artists have an essential need to connect with it. They decided to collaborate to blend their perspectives. The intersection of the intimate and the expansive is an intriguing place to explore, and this series aims to capture that. "Interludes" represents a pause between two specific moments. The photos in this series are the result of an exchange of photographic moments between two artists who, through these exchanges, have created a pause... an intermediate state. It is the place where the two perspectives merge into something indefinite.