Ètudes: Figures of Matisse is a multidisciplinary project created during an artist residency in Vence, France, as part of the Cités des Arts en Méditerranée (CDAM) residency program, hosted at Villa Le Rêve—the villa where Henri Matisse lived and worked during the final years of his life.

Through dance and photography, Natalie & Soof draw inspiration from three works by Henri Matisse: Pink Nude or Seated Nude (1909), Blue Nude II (1952), and Lorette Reclining (1917), exploring the restrained corporeality of Matisse’s painted figures. Their work seeks to physically inhabit the postures, tensions, and presence embodied in these paintings, attempting to bring new life to these motionless bodies. By reactivating these frozen figures, the work examines the relationship between the restrained representation of the body and the living, physical body.

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A heartfelt thank you to Margol and the Ein Hod Artists Association for selecting us and for their ongoing support over the past few years. Thank you to the wonderful Karin Ambacher for your guidance, hospitality, conversations, and advice throughout our stay!

Huge thanks to Daniela Tourgeman for sharing the residency, her creative universe, and for contributing to the creation of our work. To Pascal, Grégory, Julien, Anne, Jacques, Zack, Harabida, Marcia, Marcel, Arnaud, Reza, Patrick, and so many other wonderful people, thank you so very much for everything