AVICENNIA - 2023

Karine Roche

Oil, Ink, Fluid Acrylic on Canvas, 100 x 100 cm

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It is a hybrid city, half vegetal half mineral. It has made the necessary changes to be in symbiosis with its environment. This urban representation is inspired by the city of Abu Dhabi and the blooming mangrove. The landscape reflects high-tech architectural developments as well as the desire not to forget an older heritage. The mangrove is endemic to the Arabian Gulf region. Its ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere gives it an important role in the climate crisis.

Inspired by the Barjeel, the city is aerial. By studying the winds we can imagine air corridors like natural air conditioning. The city is developing vertically to avoid urban sprawl. It is light in color, thus reducing the albedo index and the ground temperature. The frames of the houses are large metal rods which become organic and transform into branches of the mangrove trees. It is the blood network of the city body. It pulsates, vibrates and forms only one organism. The leaves and the glass. of the buildings merge. This city-mangrove is a symbol of adaptation to extreme conditions, high heat and high salinity in order to reverse the current trend.

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Karine Roche 

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Karine Roche is a visual artist. She works with different media: digital, ink, oil, resin, collage of paper and textile. Her paintings are landscape which transcribes a wandering in particular environments. They are invitations to travel in urban and/or plant territories.
Born in France in 1977, She studied Fine art and landscape architecture in Paris and holds her diploma at ENSAAMA Olivier de Serres in 1999. Karine is based in UAE since 2009. She is member of Emirate Fine Arts Society. Her work was represented by Gallery Catherine et Andre Hug In Paris from 2003 to 2014. in Dubai she had several solo exhibition 2011 to 2018 with Art Sawa gallery in DIFC. She participated in “Colors dialog” and “Women in art” (Sharjah Art Museum), “Covid Conversation” (Tashkeel, Dubai). and was part of Fragility, Mia art Collection exhibition hosted in Dubai in 2023. She exhibited at the French Alliance and also with the French institute. Her paintings were presented in Art Paris. She participated in Campus Art Dubai 9.0.Blockchain edition during Art Dubai 2021.

Her paintings are part of private and corporate collections, including Abu Dhabi Executive Office, Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee, the French city of Vitry-sur-Seine, the Colas Foundation, West Lake Museum in China.
Her practice questions our relation to nature, memories, human development and question on the practice of the painting itself related to colors, composition, rhythm and contrast.