Bérénice SZAJNER

Born in 1967 in Paris, Bérénice Szajner is a sculptor now based near Avignon. Committed to animal welfare, her creative inspiration stems from an existential emotion: the realization that biodiversity and non-human species are disappearing amid the sixth mass extinction, all while the world remains largely indifferent. Deeply disturbed by what she witnesses daily in the field, the artist responds to this destruction by imagining a resilient hybrid species capable of adapting to human individualism and our unstable times.

The power of this new organism also lies in its enigmatic nature: its biomorphic yet otherworldly form—a pylon covered in filaments— defies any attempt at interpretation. While bordering on abstraction, it gives free rein to the imagination: at times evoking an archaic fossil like the prototaxite—a prehistoric organism that has been extinct since the end of the Devonian period—its cold, metallic material also gives it the appearance of a futuristic machine.

Beyond the fascination exerted by its disarming vulnerability, this sculpture is deeply moving because it embodies an attempt at healing in the face of a distorted and fragmented relationship between humanity and nature. Through art, Bérénice Szajner invites us to see these species—which inhabit the periphery of our lives—in a new light. She strives to highlight their beauty, their vitality, and their sensitivity—now proven by scientists—as well as their fragility, which we exploit to the point of exhaustion and eradication, thereby sketching out the world of tomorrow that future generations hope will be more authentic and ethical.