Nino

Clara NineL, born in 1988, is a self-taught artist based in Marseille.

Her first drawing class was in calligraphy. Today, she applies the "Sumi-e" philosophy of Chinese ink painting to her practice. In particular, that of respecting the void within a drawing, as well as the notion of suggestive rather than detailed representation.

The first exhibition she remembers was a retrospective of Daumier's drawings, where she was captivated by the expressiveness of the characters depicted. She also admires the rapid preparatory drawings made by masters such as Federico Zuccaro, Leonardo da Vinci and Fragonard. As a result, Clara draws faces and bodies in motion on a daily basis, seeking to capture the essence of the subject. Even though she works in Indian ink without a model, she imposes on herself a rapidity of execution that requires great confidence in her gesture, another fundamental principle of the Indian ink philosophy. Her series of ink portraits aims to find the line, spot or shadow that reveals the uniqueness of each individual.

This series of drawings was produced as part of an artistic residency at La Réserve des Arts de Marseille in 2022, since when her work has been shown to the public at various exhibitions.