Hydroscape – a combination of water and landscape – is an apt description of the artistic and scientific research undertaken by Nicolas Floc’h into underwater environments and habitats.
For around fifteen years, the artist has been probing the dynamics of our marine ecosystems, ranging from exploitation to transformation. He uses photography, sculpture and installation to open the doors to an often unfamiliar underwater world. At the intersection of artistic and scientific perspectives, his work is based around a series of interlinked chapters that have progressed over the long term, lending his entire output a strong element of coherence. Nicolas Floc’h does not limit himself to simple visual observation; thanks to his regular dialogues with researchers, he is able to offer a genuinely analytical reading of the environment. From this perspective, the exhibition showcases three major areas of interest in his work: Les Paysages productifs (Productive Landscapes, 2015-2024), Les Structures productives (Productive Structures, 2010-2019) and his work on La Couleur de l’eau (The Colour of Water, 2000-2026).
At the heart of the exhibition, the artist reveals previously unseen pieces developed in 2026 at the foundation’s invitation. Continuing his research into La Couleur de l’eau (The Colour of Water), these new works take the form of a grid, a surface line and a water column relating to the River Rhine. The images captured from the river extend from the shores of Lake Constance to Strasbourg, then continue into the Rhine delta, where the waters divide before reaching the North Sea near Rotterdam.
Using these approaches, Nicolas Floc’h moves the cursor from simple observation to a sensory understanding of the environment, which is often unseen and unknown to us.