Maxime Rossi

Graduated in 2005 from the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon, Maxime Rossi has an artistic practice intrinsically linked to the process of creation. The stories that inspire his projects and the paths he takes to realize them are already works in themselves. Three interconnected works are presented in the exhibition “Arcadia”. Within the Villa Heleneum, the artist opens a space through virtual reality. A 360-degree kaleidoscopic narrative takes as its starting point the “imaginary orchid” drawn by Vladimir Nabokov in 1969 for the cover of his final novel, Ada. From this idea, Maxime Rossi explores the metamorphosis of this species of albino orchid, transitioning from a physical manifestation to a digital one. This journey takes us through an orchid greenhouse, observing particles through an atomic microscope, and participating in a nocturnal procession in a tropical forest. Personal images of the artist, excerpts from online archives, and animated segments are remixed in real-time, corresponding to the viewer’s movement. Derived from the life cycle of the imaginary orchid, the narrative blends botanical exploration and improvised associations, inviting the viewer to a sensory experience rich in coincidences and seemingly random connections. This immersion in “reconstructed” landscapes is accompanied by a device using one of Rossi’s sculptures, created from molds of male and female parts found in mechanical production, covered with a surface of aluminium foil. Enigmatic presence, this sculpture evokes celestial bodies such as suns or moons and creates a completely different landscape outside of virtual reality. As one navigates through the physical and virtual environment, a generative sound work initiates an open score. Both physical and imaginary, experiential and participatory, this work situates the viewer in different scenarios. The exhibition also includes two UV-reactive screen prints hidden within the church of San Michele, offering a panoramic view of the city. Representing the albino orchid at the origin of the project, these serigraphs create a secret garden and become luminous under blacklight, thus revealing themselves.