My work presently consists of cutting portraits and other images into antique French Michelin maps from roughly 1920 to 1970. I choose my maps very carefully and try to integrate their geography, including lakes, rivers, oceans, roads, highways, parks and city centers into my images to highlight visual elements. Each of my pieces is made up of multiple maps which I cut out and layer on top of each other in between pieces of glass to create depth and texture. The layering of the maps allows the pieces to have a double meaning, changing the work depending on the distance from which it is viewed. I was drawn to antique French Michelin maps because I have been surrounded by objects like them since I was a child. Both my father and grandfather have stands in Lyon’s largest flea market. These maps and the places they depict captivated my childhood. It is from their texture, color and odor that my cutouts came to life. Maps symbolize journeys and new beginnings, but also memories and nostalgia. This antique medium also brings objects that technology has largely eliminated the need for back to life. In that sense, my cutouts are also about memory and oblivion. Finally, I use antique Michelin maps because they symbolize roads traveled. My maternal grandmother emigrated to France from Vietnam; my paternal grandfather emigrated to France from Kabylia (Northern Algeria) and I myself moved to Washington D.C. from Paris in August, 2016. My cardboard sculptures are also about new beginnings. In late 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic, I temporarily moved back to France. This forced exile inspired me to move seamlessly from creating 2D pieces to sculpting in 3D. Being away from my studio in DC and my maps, I searched for inspiration in the streets and found it in piles and piles of discarded cardboard. It was under these circumstances that I began to sculpt animas out of recycled cardboard. What emerged were large multicolored 3D animal trophies to be hung on a wall or displayed on pedestals. I work with recycled cardboard to show expressions through the animals’ eyes and gestures, reviving what was discarded to create something that I breathe new life into. I aspire to continue to cut maps and sculpt cardboard and strive to do so on a larger scale, while maintaining the same level of detail and depth of expression.