Razzle d’Oiseaux

27.06.2025

Site-specific sculptures by Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel in the Sculpture Garden: Les jardins d’Étretat, in northern France / On view till December 25, 2026

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel presents a series of three mobile sculptures in painted aluminum at the Jardins d’Étretat, titled razzle d’oiseaux (1–3). These works were created specifically for this site. Inspired by the birds inhabiting the site and the ever-present wind that animates the landscape, these works reflect the spirit of motion and transformation at the Gardens. Curator: Anastasia Kharchenko.

The sculptures take inspiration from the principle of the weather vane, a clear reference to traditional Norman models, reinterpreted in a contemporary form that shifts between figuration and abstraction. What makes them unique is their transformation: seemingly flat when still, they reveal their volume as soon as the wind sets them in motion, evolving from two-dimensional shapes into three-dimensional, moving structures.

Their vertical stripes evoke both a signalling code and the naval camouflage known as razzle-dazzle that create a visually disorienting effect. These patterns disrupt perception, an effect that intensifies as the wind adds complexity to their movement. The vertical stripes are rendered in a deep, rich red known as “oxblood red”, creating a sharp contrast with the surrounding vegetation and allowing the sculptures to stand out clearly in the landscape.

At times, the works echo elements of urban signage, such as signs or directional posts. But stripped of any practical function, they remain deliberately abstract, with no message to deliver.

There is also a playful, almost cartoonish dimension to them, with simplified shapes that recall the world of comic books, as if these weather vanes had escaped from the pages of a comic strip.

Les Jardins d’Étretat are located on the cliffs of Étretat in Normandy, offering panoramic views of the Alabaster Coast and the Étretat Needle. In 2016, landscape architect Alexandre Grivko from IL NATURE transformed the former property of Madame Thébault, dating from the early 20^th century, into a contemporary public garden. The site hosts permanent and temporary collections of sculptures by international artists.

The main works include a sculpture representing Claude Monet painting the Amont cliff in 1883, as well as human face sculptures expressing various emotions, created by Spanish artist Samuel Salcedo in the Garden of Sounds.

The site also functions as an experimental laboratory to develop new plant care technologies and new forms of trimmed plant compositions.

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (3), 2025, painted aluminium, 390x800x0,5 cm, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (1-3), exhibition view, 2025, painted aluminium, variable dimensions, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (1), 2025, painted aluminium, 456x135x0,5 cm, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (1-3), exhibition view, 2025, painted aluminium, variable dimensions, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (2), 2025, painted aluminium, 415x120x0,5 cm, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (1, 3), exhibition view, 2025, painted aluminium, variable dimensions, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (1), detail, 2025, painted aluminium, 456x135x0,5 cm, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (1-3), exhibition view, 2025, painted aluminium, variable dimensions, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (3), detail, 2025, painted aluminium, 390x800x0,5 cm, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (3), 2025, painted aluminium, 390x800x0,5 cm, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel, Razzle d'Oiseaux (1), 2025, painted aluminium, 456x135x0,5 cm, Les Jardins d'Étretat. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jenia Filatova

Kamil Bouzoubaa-Grivel (b. 1992) is a French-Moroccan artist working between France and Morocco. He studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

His practice explores the tension between digital and manual image-making, translating visual elements from the digital realm into hand-drawn forms that blur the lines between print and gesture, abstraction and illusion.

He has exhibited in numerous group shows at institutions including the Fondation Pernod Ricard, Bétonsalon – Center for Art and Research (Paris), La Panacée – MOCO (Montpellier), Fiminco Foundation (Romainville), Wallonia-Brussels Center (Paris), Komplot (Brussels), and the TGCC Foundation (Casablanca).

He has participated in international residencies at the Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), Villa Belleville (Paris), the Boghossian Foundation at Villa Empain (Brussels), Jester (Genk,
Belgium), and the Montresso Art Foundation (Marrakech).

His work has been recognized with several awards, including the Drawing Prize from the Hugot Foundation – Collège de France (2019), the Takesada Matsutani Prize (2020), and the Mustaqbal Prize (2024).