The art of photographer Aurélie Scouarnec focuses on light, textures and emotions. This is perfectly illustrated by her series Feræ, created between 2020 and 2022. The photographs, captured in wildlife hospitals in the Île-de-France, reveal the fragility of animal life and human efforts to protect and preserve it. Although the l’Île-de-France is a highly urbanised region, many wild species cohabit there, often leading a difficult existence.
The project, with its title meaning «wild animal» in Latin, was created in collaboration with the Alfort National Veterinary School (ENVA), the Centre for Care, Breeding and Rehabilitation of Wild Animals (CSERFS) in Mandres-les-Roses and Les Rémiges Noires, the bird protection association in Chennevières-sur-Marne. It immerses us in the daily life of these refuges, where time seems to stand still and injured wild animals are treated before regaining their freedom. The spotlight is turned on the work of the vets, carers and volunteers, as they repeat their meticulous activities like a daily ritual: care, feeding and cleaning. At the heart of this series, water also plays a fundamental role. It washes, hydrates and heals, underlined the importance of these everyday actions that symbolise the purification, hydration and healing of the animals.
The artist’s photographs also stand out for their delicate light and muted colours that draw upon an interplay of revelation and concealment. The shots, which focus on textures, capture the bodies receiving care and open up a space where we come face to face with the otherness of animals.