Ninon Hivert Creates Art from Discarded Objects.

4 hours ago7 min read4 comments

Ninon Hivert’s studio is less a traditional artist’s workshop and more a sanctuary for the forgotten, a place where the ghosts of everyday objects are given a new voice. She doesn’t start with a blank canvas or a fresh block of marble; she begins with a conversation, sifting through the detritus of modern life—a cracked ceramic shard, a rusted hinge, a fragment of faded textile—and listening for the whispers of their past lives.This intimate, almost archaeological process is at the heart of her multimedia work, where an object’s afterlife is not an ending but an unfolding story, a second act written in glue, paint, and careful reassembly. I had the chance to speak with her recently, and what struck me most wasn't just the visual impact of her sculptures and collages, but the profound human connection she fosters with these discarded items.She described finding a child’s worn-out leather shoe, its sole nearly worn through, and feeling not just the physical weight of it, but the imagined weight of countless steps, of playground runs and hurried dashes to school. In her hands, that single shoe wasn't trash; it was a vessel of memory, a tangible link to a anonymous childhood.This perspective is a quiet rebellion against our culture of disposability, a reminder that everything we cast off carries the invisible fingerprints of its history. Hivert’s work challenges us to see the beauty in the broken, the narrative in the neglected.It’s a practice rooted in empathy, not just for people, but for the things we share our lives with. She meticulously cleans, sorts, and re-contextualizes these fragments, creating assemblages that feel both strangely familiar and entirely new.A former clock spring might become the stem of a metallic flower; pages from a waterlogged book might form the wings of a mythical creature. The result is a poignant dialogue between past and present, function and art, loss and renewal.Watching her work is to understand that creativity isn't always about generating something from nothing. Often, it's about having the patience to listen, the vision to see potential where others see waste, and the courage to grant something—or someone—a meaningful second chance. Her art, therefore, becomes a powerful metaphor for redemption itself, suggesting that our own scars and broken pieces don't define our end, but can become the very materials for our most beautiful reconstructions.

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#Ninon Hivert

#sculpture

#collage

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#Chapelle XIV Paris

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