The kiss

The kiss is a photograph by the artist Hélène David, from the series Noces ou les confins sauvages (Nuptials, or the Wild Borderlands). This photograph captures a gentle moment of contact between a human hand and a bird’s wing. In the wing, the bluish light reveals the texture of the feathers and transforms the gesture into a silent image, at once intimate and almost unreal.

For Hélène David, the bird carries strong symbolic significance. It evokes a connection with the celestial realm and the sacred, whilst its wings, like those of angels, evoke a desire for flight, elevation and transcendence.

In the series Noces ou les confins sauvages (Nuptials, or the Wild Borderlands), Hélène David explores ways of forming an intimate relationship with a wild natural environment, particularly that of the Mediterranean.  The starting point for the project is Albert Camus’s text Noces à Tipasa (Nuptials at Tipasa), in which the author celebrates a sensory communion between human beings and the natural world.

Another experience profoundly informs the series: a contemporary dance project led by Nathalie Artufel. Alongside eleven women, some of whom appear in the photographs, Hélène David took part in a twelve-kilometre dance walk along a hiking trail, based on the principle of contact improvisation. She explains: “Dancing in nature leads you to develop a very subtle perception of contact with matter. This bodily memory has therefore also informed the project.”

The Mediterranean also holds a deeply personal place in the artist’s journey, shaped by childhood memories of Marseille and the Calanques, where she learned to swim. She thus evokes a place where her earliest physical experiences and sensory awakenings took shape. In Marseille, she is fascinated by the constant interweaving of the urban and the natural, through the breath of the mistral, the contours of the Calanques and the waves of the Mediterranean reaching into the city.

The series unfolds as a sensory and poetic journey along the Mediterranean coastline, where the sea, animals and human beings interact. The body takes centre stage: confronted by the elements, it gradually becomes permeable to nature. Sensations, perceptions and physical experiences then open a pathway to the marvellous, the imaginary and the invisible.

“I wanted to offer a different perspective on this stretch of the Mediterranean, to reveal a Mediterranean that is neither commercial nor shaped by tourism, but one that resonates with our innermost being. […] I did not approach the coastline as a boundary, but rather as a continuum. A continuum between the terrestrial world and the maritime world, characterised by permeability, exchanges and interactions.” Hélène David

Hélène David’s practice is built upon careful observation of the living world and prolonged immersion in the territories she explores. Drawing on the tradition of documentary photography, she combines her photographic work with writing, archival research and encounters with those she regards as ‘intercessors’ of the territory.

Her series view the living world as an ensemble of bodies—human, animal, plant and mineral—placed on the same plane and linked by a network of interdependencies and porous relationships. Through poetic and sensitive images, composed and selected with a strong emphasis on intuition, she creates a space where the visible engages in dialogue with the invisible, the real with the imaginary, and where the natural world becomes the setting for a sensory and evocative experience.

Hélène David’s works are regularly exhibited in France in galleries, festivals and museums, and are included in several public collections. This work has been acquired by the Marseille City Council’s Contemporary Art Fund (FCAC Ville de Marseille).

Preparation and delivery times for the artwork:
The preparation time ranges from 1 to 5 business days, EXCEPT if the print has not yet been made or must be mounted/framed. In that case, the turnaround time will be approximately five business days for a simple print and up to two or three weeks to print and mount and/or frame the photograph.
The shipping time, which is in addition to the production and preparation time, varies depending on the country of origin and the destination country. It can take anywhere between 1 and 15 business days. As soon as the carrier picks up the parcel containing your order, you will receive a confirmation email with a tracking number you can use to check the status of your shipment by logging in to the carrier’s website.

Shipping times and conditions: we work with the most respected carriers on the market to offer you the best service at the best price. Shipping fees, which are billed to the buyer, are indicated in the shopping cart after you have entered and confirmed the shipping address. The fees are determined according to a scale that depends on the dimensions and weight of the artwork ordered, the address of origin and the shipping address.

International delivery: the international carriers with which we work, including FedEx and DHL, deliver to more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Thus, your country is probably one of the covered areas. If that is not the case, please email us so that we can find a solution.

Insurance: Artistics insures each shipment under a policy that covers the risks of loss or damage to your order while it is being transported to the shipping address you provide. The cost of this insurance is included in the shipping fees. If your order is damaged upon delivery, you should flag the issue with the carrier, then contact us so that we can respond as quickly as possible.

Custom duties: if the order is shipped from or to a non-EU member country, your invoice does not include taxes. Any customs duties, local taxes or import duties are the buyer’s responsibility. As such, we encourage you to contact the relevant authorities in your country of residence to obtain more information.

Free returns: if for any reason, you are not satisfied with your purchase, you can return it free of charge within 14 days of receipt of your package: we will send a carrier to pick up the piece and we will cover the return shipping fees. You will be reimbursed for the order amount after we have received the work in perfect condition.

For more information, go to our Buyer FAQ section or contact us by phone at +331.40.28.92.28 or by email at contact@artistics.com.

Artistics accepts payment by bank card, check (if it is drawn on a bank in France), wire transfer and PayPal.

Bank card. We accept major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, CB and American Express. Payments made on our website are completely secure as they are processed by our banking partner, the CIC. Your banking information is encrypted and sent to the CIC and is never handled by Artistics.

Bank check: The check must be payable in France (i.e., the bank branch that issues the check must be registered in France). Please make the check payable to Artistics and mail it, along with a photocopy or a scan of your legal ID or passport, to: Artistics – 16 rue de Turbigo – 75002 Paris – France. Please write your name and order number on the back of the check. If you choose this payment method, please note that your order will not be processed until we receive the check.

Wire transfer: If you choose this payment method, please note that your order will not be processed until we receive the wire on our bank account. After your order is confirmed, we will email you the information needed to send the wire transfer.

PayPal

Regardless of the type of payment method chosen, you will receive a confirmation email a few minutes after your payment has been approved. You can also access this information on your personal account on our website.

For more information, go to our Buyer FAQ section or contact us by phone at +331.40.28.92.28 or by email at contact@artistics.com.