If photography is a way to capture reality, for artist Reine Paradis—whom we’ve previously discussed here—it is exactly the opposite: each of her shots serves as a portal transporting the viewer into an alternate universe, meticulously constructed down to the smallest detail. With ECLIPSE, her new solo exhibition at KÖNIG TELEGRAPHENAMT in Berlin (on view until March 15, 2025), the French artist continues her exploration at the boundary between vision and performance, using photography, painting, and sculpture to create surreal settings.

Reine Paradis’ Creative Process

Her process is almost cinematic: it all begins with a mental image, which then takes shape in a small paper collage. From there, the search for the perfect location begins—an obsession that can last for years. Once the ideal setting is found, Paradis designs and crafts costumes, props, and origami-inspired sculptures that become integral parts of the scene. The most iconic element? Herself—she appears as the protagonist in her own images, concealed behind a blonde wig and ready to immerse herself in extreme, dreamlike situations.

But a single click is not enough. After the shot, an extensive editing process begins, where each color is carefully calibrated to fit her hyper-controlled aesthetic, characterized by vibrant tones and metaphysical atmospheres. The result is the feeling of stepping into a parallel world, suspended between pop and conceptual art.

Beyond photography, Paradis moves fluidly between painting and sculpture, transforming her props into standalone works of art. Some objects become uranium glass sculptures, a material that reacts to light to create hypnotic optical effects. Transparency and reflections are key elements of her aesthetic, blurring the boundaries between the real and the artificial.