Sophie Zénon
b. 1965, France
Sophie Zénon is a French photographic artist, born in 1965, living and working in Paris. Trained in anthropology, Sophie Zénon has spent the past three decades developing a hybrid artistic practice exploring the mechanisms of memory and the fragility of human and non-human existence.
In search of the indescribable, that which escapes immediate perception and comprehension, Zénon conducts patient investigations into our relationship with the natural elements, death, and the sacred (Mummies of Palermo). In parallel, resonating with her intimate and familial experiences (L’Homme Paysage / Alexandre, Dans le miroir des rizières / Maria), Zénon reinterprets historical events, creating new spaces of poetic imagination and sensitive perception (L’Herbe aux yeux bleus).
In all cases, her work seeks to bring forth, in the present, the specters that haunt our landscapes and lives, with the aim of examining how the past shapes us and giving it tangible form.
In this sense, Zénon is not only an artist inspired by the shamanic experiences she holds dear. She is also a photographer-alchemist, experimenting with and pushing the boundaries of the photographic medium to enhance its power of revelation. Photograms, collages, prints, modeling, graphite, wood, pigments, wax, and even gold—these are just some of the gestures and materials she has employed over the years.
She thus shares this delight in material and experimentation with researchers, poets, writers, printmakers, engravers, and artisans, who accompany her throughout her various projects. These collaborations result in unique works that are both precious objects and sculptures, subtly extending the universe of her photographic images (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire).
D. Amao, PhD in Art History and Photography
Sophie Zénon works are included in public collections (Bibliothèque nationale de France, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Mobilier national, Manufacture de Sèvres, Musée de la Photographie de Bièvres…) as well as in numerous private collections. Since 2000, her work has been exhibited across Europe and internationally in prestigious venues such as the Palais de Tokyo, BnF, Mobilier National, Galerie Thessa Herold, Fondation Pierre Bergé / Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, as well as the Château d’Eau (Toulouse), Fondation Fernet-Branca (Saint-Louis), Fondation François Schneider (Wattwiller), and the Houston Center for Photography (USA).
She has received numerous recognitions, including the Creation Grant from the Fondation des Artistes (2022), the Eurazeo Prize (2019), the “Photography Residency” Prize from the Fondation des Treilles (2015), and the Kodak Critique Prize (1999). She has also been a finalist for the Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière Photography Prize / Académie des Beaux-Arts (2024), the Villa Kujoyama (2023), and the Prix Niépce (2015).
Sophie Zénon regularly participates in conferences (Gens d’Images, Les Rendez-vous de l’Histoire de Blois, DPMA Ministry of the Armed Forces), in seminars at the INHA (National Institute of Art History), and in university programs.
Finally, having worked for over 20 years on gestures and traditional craftsmanship, she served as a member of the Scientific Committee of the CIPGP (Collège International de Photographie du Grand Paris), founded by Michel Poivert, contributing to a project aimed at recognizing pre-digital photographic techniques as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2024, she was awarded the National Commission celebrating 30 years of the Maître d’Art / Élèves program. She also acted as artistic collaborator for the exhibition “L’Esprit commence et finit au bout des doigts” at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in October 2019, an exhibition organized by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, with which she collaborated for 12 years.
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Sophie Zénon is a French photographic artist, born in 1965, living and working in Paris. Trained in anthropology, Sophie Zénon has spent the past three decades developing a hybrid artistic practice exploring the mechanisms of memory and the fragility of human and non-human existence.
In search of the indescribable, that which escapes immediate perception and comprehension, Zénon conducts patient investigations into our relationship with the natural elements, death, and the sacred (Mummies of Palermo). In parallel, resonating with her intimate and familial experiences (L’Homme Paysage / Alexandre, Dans le miroir des rizières / Maria), Zénon reinterprets historical events, creating new spaces of poetic imagination and sensitive perception (L’Herbe aux yeux bleus).
In all cases, her work seeks to bring forth, in the present, the specters that haunt our landscapes and lives, with the aim of examining how the past shapes us and giving it tangible form.
In this sense, Zénon is not only an artist inspired by the shamanic experiences she holds dear. She is also a photographer-alchemist, experimenting with and pushing the boundaries of the photographic medium to enhance its power of revelation. Photograms, collages, prints, modeling, graphite, wood, pigments, wax, and even gold—these are just some of the gestures and materials she has employed over the years.
She thus shares this delight in material and experimentation with researchers, poets, writers, printmakers, engravers, and artisans, who accompany her throughout her various projects. These collaborations result in unique works that are both precious objects and sculptures, subtly extending the universe of her photographic images (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire).
D. Amao, PhD in Art History and Photography
Sophie Zénon works are included in public collections (Bibliothèque nationale de France, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Mobilier national, Manufacture de Sèvres, Musée de la Photographie de Bièvres…) as well as in numerous private collections. Since 2000, her work has been exhibited across Europe and internationally in prestigious venues such as the Palais de Tokyo, BnF, Mobilier National, Galerie Thessa Herold, Fondation Pierre Bergé / Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, as well as the Château d’Eau (Toulouse), Fondation Fernet-Branca (Saint-Louis), Fondation François Schneider (Wattwiller), and the Houston Center for Photography (USA).
She has received numerous recognitions, including the Creation Grant from the Fondation des Artistes (2022), the Eurazeo Prize (2019), the “Photography Residency” Prize from the Fondation des Treilles (2015), and the Kodak Critique Prize (1999). She has also been a finalist for the Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière Photography Prize / Académie des Beaux-Arts (2024), the Villa Kujoyama (2023), and the Prix Niépce (2015).
Sophie Zénon regularly participates in conferences (Gens d’Images, Les Rendez-vous de l’Histoire de Blois, DPMA Ministry of the Armed Forces), in seminars at the INHA (National Institute of Art History), and in university programs.
Finally, having worked for over 20 years on gestures and traditional craftsmanship, she served as a member of the Scientific Committee of the CIPGP (Collège International de Photographie du Grand Paris), founded by Michel Poivert, contributing to a project aimed at recognizing pre-digital photographic techniques as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2024, she was awarded the National Commission celebrating 30 years of the Maître d’Art / Élèves program. She also acted as artistic collaborator for the exhibition “L’Esprit commence et finit au bout des doigts” at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in October 2019, an exhibition organized by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, with which she collaborated for 12 years.
Read more...
In all cases, her work seeks to bring forth, in the present, the specters that haunt our landscapes and lives, with the aim of examining how the past shapes us and giving it tangible form.
In this sense, Zénon is not only an artist inspired by the shamanic experiences she holds dear. She is also a photographer-alchemist, experimenting with and pushing the boundaries of the photographic medium to enhance its power of revelation. Photograms, collages, prints, modeling, graphite, wood, pigments, wax, and even gold—these are just some of the gestures and materials she has employed over the years.
She thus shares this delight in material and experimentation with researchers, poets, writers, printmakers, engravers, and artisans, who accompany her throughout her various projects. These collaborations result in unique works that are both precious objects and sculptures, subtly extending the universe of her photographic images (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire).
D. Amao, PhD in Art History and Photography
Sophie Zénon works are included in public collections (Bibliothèque nationale de France, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Mobilier national, Manufacture de Sèvres, Musée de la Photographie de Bièvres…) as well as in numerous private collections. Since 2000, her work has been exhibited across Europe and internationally in prestigious venues such as the Palais de Tokyo, BnF, Mobilier National, Galerie Thessa Herold, Fondation Pierre Bergé / Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, as well as the Château d’Eau (Toulouse), Fondation Fernet-Branca (Saint-Louis), Fondation François Schneider (Wattwiller), and the Houston Center for Photography (USA).
She has received numerous recognitions, including the Creation Grant from the Fondation des Artistes (2022), the Eurazeo Prize (2019), the “Photography Residency” Prize from the Fondation des Treilles (2015), and the Kodak Critique Prize (1999). She has also been a finalist for the Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière Photography Prize / Académie des Beaux-Arts (2024), the Villa Kujoyama (2023), and the Prix Niépce (2015).
Sophie Zénon regularly participates in conferences (Gens d’Images, Les Rendez-vous de l’Histoire de Blois, DPMA Ministry of the Armed Forces), in seminars at the INHA (National Institute of Art History), and in university programs.
Finally, having worked for over 20 years on gestures and traditional craftsmanship, she served as a member of the Scientific Committee of the CIPGP (Collège International de Photographie du Grand Paris), founded by Michel Poivert, contributing to a project aimed at recognizing pre-digital photographic techniques as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2024, she was awarded the National Commission celebrating 30 years of the Maître d’Art / Élèves program. She also acted as artistic collaborator for the exhibition “L’Esprit commence et finit au bout des doigts” at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in October 2019, an exhibition organized by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, with which she collaborated for 12 years.
