aurèce vettier is an art project founded in 2019 by Paul Mouginot (b. 1990). This alias, formed using an algorithm, is a metaphor for the desire for a collaborative, open and hybrid approach.

This identity, like all of aurèce vettier’s work, allows for a lot of back and forth between the «real» space in which it is possible to exist, to draw, paint, sculpt, break, erase; and the «data» space, where it is possible to play with more dimensions than a human can grasp - a gesture analogous to uploading and then downloading an image over and over again on an online platform. In this virtual space, which may involve AI algorithms or heavy mathematical processing, aurèce vettier explores new forms, which are then deployed as tangible objects, in close connection with many crafts.

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aurèce vettier’s wall branches and monumental trees emerge from a process that brings together algorithmic generation and centuries-old craftsmanship. Each form originates in custom-trained artificial intelligence models, known as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), developed by the artist. These models are often fed with personal archives and botanical references, allowing organic structures to surface that feel at once familiar and impossible. These digital forms are then translated into matter through a unique and rigorous sculptural process devised by the artist.

The works are first developed as volumetric 3D models, then projected into physical structures using branches carefully gathered by aurèce vettier in forests to match the digital forms. From there, they are cast in bronze using the lost-wood technique, a process that preserves both precision and subtle irregularities while producing unique pieces, anchoring the work within a long lineage of sculptural practice.

Once cast, the surfaces are meticulously reworked by hand before entering the final stage of transformation: gilding. In collaboration with Atelier Gohard, the sculptures are adorned with gold and palladium leaf, applied through delicate and time-intensive processes requiring exceptional control. This final step gives the branches and trees a presence that oscillates between the vegetal, the mineral, and the celestial.

Through this dialogue between computation and material, aurèce vettier constructs forms that appear both ancient and speculative, as though they belonged to a nature not yet fully revealed.