Space Artists #4: Cyrielle Gulacsy, art and matter

Cyrielle Gulacsy, from the Val d’Oise region in France, lives in Paris where she obtained a degree in visual communication from EPSAA in 2016. After a short stint as artistic director, Cyrielle chose to devote herself to drawing, and subsequently to painting. As a self-taught artist, she has focused on the human perception of light, matter, space and time.

Cyrielle Gulacsy – Portrait by Elisa Baudoin

Your work is a combination of science, technique and poetry. Can you tell us about it ?

Each of my paintings, drawings and sculptures includes a real-life component that has drawn my attention, and which the public is often not sensitive to or does not grasp. It could be a magnetic field, nanoscopic particles, or clusters containing an infinite number of stars. I strive to understand and portray such elements in my work so as to prompt curiosity in those who behold it and possibly engender emotions that in turn may change the way they view the world.

@Cyrielle Gulacsy – ARP 244 Pelicular Galaxy, 2017

What does space mean to you ?

The space field undoubtedly prompts questions, many of which have been answered thanks to space exploration. Space, however, is also conducive to meditation and provides me with a sense of peace. I have, for countless years, been fascinated by aerospace engineering.

@Cyrielle Gulacsy – O,01 O,02 – 2021

How have humankind’s increased knowledge of the universe and advances in space exploration, and in particular those at ArianeGroup, influenced your work ?

Launcher engines, observation satellites and the imagery they generate have inspired me to produce many a series of drawings. Several of ArianeGroup’s scientific missions and the resulting discoveries have influenced my work. I can think of the Rosetta mission, the Planck telescope, and the upcoming launch of the James Webb telescope, which I am anxiously looking forward to.

@Cyrielle Gulacsy – Aureole 1 – 2017

What are your primary everyday sources of inspiration ?

I’m an avid reader of the latest science news and publications regarding physics and astrophysics, but I also simply observe nature and phenomena around me. Such information nourishes my artistic reflections and fuels my desire to seek new sensory forms to represent reality.

@Cyrielle Gulacsy – 2I Borisov, 2019

What materials do you work with, and why ?

Usually, my choice of a specific medium or technique depends on the topic. For example, I’m currently working on a representation of space and time: a series of oak sculptures in which tree growth rings become a metaphor for a space-time continuum shaped by gravity. It will be presented at my next exhibition in New York.

@Cyrielle Gulacsy – Andromeda Galaxy, Continuum Substracted Halpha, 2019-2020 close-up

How are art and space related, in a general sense? How can one field drive the future of the other ?

The fields of astronomy and physics are still full of enigmas and unexplored topics. Art can possibly play a role in describing such scientific phenomena by using a non-language approach, offering a more sensitive and intuitive interpretation of the invisible world around us.

@Cyrielle Gulacsy – Andromeda galaxy, continuum substracted Halpha, 2019, 2020

Do you have a wild artistic dream or project regarding space ?

There are many. I would love to do an art residency on the ISS and adapt my work to microgravity conditions, I would like to fly in the Airbus Zero-G, see Earth from space… my bucket list is endless !

@Cyrielle Gulacsy – Serie CS composantes spectrales CS01, CS02, CS03, CS04 – 2021

Is there anything you would like to add ?

Could I possibly attend the launch of the James Webb telescope ?

Go to Cyrielle Gulacsy’s website to see her art.