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Silent Kinsugi, from the series SENTIMENTS DÉSHABILLÉS, is a wet plate collodion series featuring nude figures and botanical studies about the language of flowers and plants linked to the human condition.

“Flowers and plants are at the centre of every human experience. Flowers play such an important part in our daily lives: We grow, we give, we nurture, we flourish...they are us. We express ourselves with them. They dance together as their perfume invites us to their touch and hypnotises us like adored lovers to hand pick them, water them, nurture them, to give them away for love, for a kiss or a tear.” - Nicolas Laborie

This 19th century photographic process, wet plate collodion, has a deep rooted connection with botanicals:
 In 1851, collodion, a binding agent made from cotton was invented for photographic purposes. To close the botanical circle, each plate is varnished with sandarac, a resin from a cypress-like tree, tetraclinis articulata and lavender.

During the Victorian era, flowers and plants were used to communicate, allowing secretive messages to be sent as the Victorian etiquette deemed it unacceptable to share openly. The language of flowers was more than a simple meaning of a gift but a deeper understanding of the human conditions for love, forgiveness, rejection and sadness.

The chemical reactions on the figures and botanicals evoke ethereal memories of my love for the Japanese poetry Haiku which became popular in 19th Century Europe. A short conscious Japanese art form, Haiku is created with the capture of a single movement, emotions and essence of a specific moment in time beyond nature by wondering traveling artists and imagists in the victorian times where patience is key.

Born in Paris, France, Nicolas Laborie is a London based fine art photographer specialising in Wet Plate Collodion. His photographic work is based on social commentary, human condition and gender equality using the wet plate collodion process, mixing 19th century photographic process and technique with contemporary subjects.

Accolades

Nicolas Laborie has had work exhibited at Royal Academy of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, Christie's Auction house, The London Art Fair, Affordable Art Fairs in UK and NYC, GX Gallery, The Mall Galleries, The Gherkin Building and at Voies Off, part of the Rencontres d`Arles photographic festival.

Prizes: Winner of the British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain 2017 & 2020. Finalist with Honourable mention for seeingWOMEN 2020 awards. Photo LA 2020 finalist. ING Discerning Eye annual exhibition 2020. Art for Youth London 2020. Shortlisted artist for the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2019 . Finalist for the 10th Passion for Freedom Art awards 2018. Finalist for the LensCulture Portrait international Awards 2017.

www.nicolaslaborie.com
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Twitter @nicolaslaborie