Rhizome is a sculptural work inspired by nature, an exploration at the intersection of form and function.

Rhizome was born of the fascination of Pierre Bonnefille for a collection of Ikebana Japanese baskets. These flower baskets bear witness to the ancient traditional art of woven bamboo that attained its height of perfection during the Meiji Era (XIXth century). The bamboo is used in its entirety from the stem to the root, weaved, knotted, twisted, and becomes this small masterpiece in plant form.

Through slow permeation, this object led the artist to adopt a form taken from the “root” handle of this basket, which was significant in the creative process.

This root, which is both fluid and sinuous, carries the memory of the energy necessary for it to trace its path in the earth. It is matter and movement.

As poems on vegetal energy, the artworks resulting from this series exhibit distinct sculptural characteristics. Sketched with a brushstroke, the slender shapes give the works in this series a particular tension.