The Drowning Project of Alban Grosdidier

Words by Polina Liarostathi

5 September 2012

The Drowning Project of Alban Grosdidier

Words by Polina Liarostathi

5 September 2012

Paris, France

When was the last time you dipped your head underwater just to enjoy a few seconds of complete nothingness?

Remember the feeling? If not, take a deep breath, because Alban Grosdidier is here to reignite that memory. The 22-year-old Paris-based artist, currently studying at ESAG Penninghen, has brought this sensation to life through Drowning—one of his most compelling and meticulously executed projects.

Grosdidier is genuinely drawn to the social and reflective aspects of graphic design, often using photography as a medium to express his inner world.

“Drowning is a project that speaks to the feeling of submersion one can experience when living in a big city,” he explains.

photo © Alban Grosdidier
(the installation) photo © Laurie Vidal and Fred Feuillet

The first series of portraits was unveiled along the Seine River in Paris in January 2012, creating a curious mix of serenity and suffocation—an artistic representation of the modern paradox of isolation and frustration. Some of the photographs were harmoniously integrated into the cityscape, forcing passersby to pause and reflect, while others appeared as though they were gasping for air amidst the urban environment.

Alban Grosdidier shared his thoughts on Drowning with Yatzer:

“I’ve always been interested in social phenomena. I believe street art enriches the meaning of a piece of art, adding a new layer of interaction. All I really wanted was for people to stop, stand in front of the work, and ask themselves: ‘Why?’ The city became my playground, and I decided to explore that idea. After all, who hasn’t felt ‘drowned’ in their own city at some point?”

The decision to exhibit the Drowning series along the banks of the Seine was no coincidence.

“There was a semantic game behind displaying the portraits near this legendary river that runs through the heart of Paris. It added another dimension to the concept while also giving me the opportunity to expose my work to a wider audience—which, in the end, is why we make art in the first place, isn’t it?”

photo © Alban Grosdidier

If the first exhibition left us intrigued, the second installment elevated the project to new artistic heights. In July 2012, Grosdidier presented the next phase of Drowning along the Canal Saint-Martin. This time, however, nature played an unexpected role.

As torrential rainstorms swept through the city, the exhibition became a living, breathing entity. The rain reshaped and distorted the photographs, washing away entire fragments of images and transforming the canal into a collaborative canvas of art and nature. The result was a raw and immersive experience, as if the rain itself had become an active participant in the narrative.

“I chose to present the second part of the exhibition on a rainy day because I wanted the rain to physically imprint its effects on the photographs,” Grosdidier reveals.

“It was a way to reflect the emotional consequences rain has on people living in rainy cities. I wanted to artistically extend what I call the ‘Russian dolls effect’—layers within layers, stories within stories.”

With such creative depth and thought-provoking execution, Yatzer is eagerly anticipating what Alban Grosdidier will do next. One thing is certain: we haven’t seen the last of this name—and if his Drowning series is anything to go by, his future work is bound to resurface in equally compelling ways.