Auville works with construction cement. Applying techniques used in the construction and ship building industries, he spreads the cement over Ursalite (high-density foam panels), creating pieces ranging in size from one to eight square meters.
Mare Nostrum is part of a body of work where the artist explores the notion of whiteness.
White is pure light (and conversely); It is the optical combination of all colours; But if you combine all the pigments colours, you will get a grey-beige, never a pure white. White is someting else.
In his explorations, Auville works with white cements, a deeply matte (and very white) material.
In Mare Nostrum, three stripes of white cement, some enlighted with marble powder, some just raw, contrast subtly between them.
Pierre Auville is a French artist whose work investigates and incorporates the aesthetic and conceptual qualities of manufactured materials such as cement, concrete and steel. He was born in Le Havre, on the Normandy coast, and lives and works near Paris.