The artist and painter Natacha Mankowski joins the Fondation for a project focused on geology, terroir, and the transformation of materials. Drawing from the mineral wealth of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the artist will create, for the very first time, a series of glass sculptures incorporating limestone, clay, silica sand, wax, and linseed oil. Her pieces will offer new interpretations inspired by the Charente landscape.

After earning a master’s degree in Architecture in Paris, Natacha Mankowski worked for several years as an architect alongside Jean Nouvel, Dominique Perrault, and Vito Acconci before turning to painting. Her practice is characterized by an exuberant use of impasto, through which she creates textural and spatial forms that bring her paintings closer to the realm of sculpture. While her compositions may sometimes appear abstract to the viewer, they evoke the plans and maps used in architectural design and urban planning.

Her practice lies at the intersection of geology and alchemy. She creates her own colors and oil pastels from the minerals she discovers during her field research. She is particularly interested in sites such as stone quarries and mines, where architects and builders source their raw materials. Situated between nature and the built environment, these are transitional sites where natural resources are extracted and transformed into raw materials, then used in buildings and other modern technologies.