Anouk Mercier
Anouk Mercier’s drawings rely heavily on the nostalgia of Romanticism to depict melancholic worlds, undefined by time or space. Combining fragments from 17th and 18th Century landscape etchings as well as references to Victorian postcards with her own mark making she confuses the boundaries of what is ‘real’, giving her works a dream-like quality and inviting the viewer to follow the paths of the fantastical landscapes depicted. Presenting the continuous search for escapism through the portrayal of a fragmented, yet beautiful ideal, Anouk’s work also explores the mysterious, the abysmal and the uncanny that often lurks behind idylls.
Mercier was born in Paris, France and completed her BA (hons) Art and Visual Culture at the University of West England (UWE) Bristol. In 2018 Mercier completed a year commission for the National Trust, Stourhead. Mercier’s work was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize in 2015, was the recipient for the Contemporary Artists Explore Printmaking Bursury, supported by the Arts Council in 2013 and the ART Magazine ‘ Emerging Artists Award’ 2011. Her work can be found in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery and the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Collection.