THERE IS NO GREATER CHALLENGE FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER THAN TO ARCHIVE THE INVISIBLE. Born in 1972 in the Netherlands, Paul Cupido does this with tactfulness, tracking the fleeting and eternal beauty of nature, capturing the reflections of the moon on petals.

THESE SENSITIVE, MELANCHOLIC, EXISTENTIAL IMAGES spread their light from New York to Zurich, where he is regularly exhibited - or in his books, such as Searching for Mu (2017) or Éphémère (2019). This intuitive, perfectionist photographer with a passion for Japan was a resident artist at Château Palmer in 2022. This creative stay resulted in an exhibition at the new Leica gallery in Paris, showing until late June 2023, and a book published by Filigranes Éditions.

Entitled Séléné in tribute to the goddess of the moon, this work offers an extremely sensitive vision of the Palmer terroir. The images feature a succession of circles, phosphorescence, and shimmering, shifting from a dreamlike herbarium to a canopy of clouds that seem to connect the beauty of the earth with the mystery of cosmic forces. An invitation to open our eyes, stark and tenacious, and observe the ineffable all around.

CHÂTEAU PALMER : I guess it’s stimulating for an artist like you working on nature, impermanence of things, beauty of seasons... What did you expect from this first INSTANTS artistic residency in Chateau Palmer?

PAUL CUPIDO : Chateau Palmer gave me the opportunity to make an introductory visit, to meet the people and see its geographical location along the rich banks of the Garonne. And get a taste, literally and figuratively, of the chateau's philosophy and heritage, the circular way the beautiful wines are made. I was very impressed by the Chateau, the animals, the soil, the growing, the devotion. As a photographer, my goal and wish is to make a poetic interpretation of these elements, like a composer conveying feelings into notes or a winemaker interpreting what nature gives us. I went and listened closely to the place with all senses fully open. I strongly live with the philosophy that the work should write and dictate itself. By listening to the ‘Sense of Place’, learning what the place wants my work to be. I must admit being very naive about winemaking. As a northern European, I can say we are collectively and secretly jealous on the fact French have so much more poetry in their DNA. Many people in my country call themselves “Francophiles”, love the French way of living, chansons, Citroën Méhari, bread, cheese and wine, romance. My wish is to bring a bit of this Joie de vivre into my work!

CHÂTEAU PALMER : Could you define the concept of Mu, so important in your work? Is it, for a part, a celebration of minimalism and zen traditions?

PAUL CUPIDO : As part of my graduating from the Fotoacademie, in Amsterdam, I made a pilgrimage from Tokyo to Abashiri on Hokkaido Island, to think about life, the big questions. I was experiencing a difficult period, some beloved friends had fallen away and I could not handle the fact our lives are ending. By walking and taking pictures I came to a point for acceptance that life comes to an end, yet at the same time knowing that life is circular, starting over time and again. Mu represents this zero state, a point of nothingness, beyond desire. Art, both contemplating and creating it, is a way to be in the present moment. We need food to live, but immaterial food is also a basic need. Art lifts you up to a higher frequency.

“Art, both contemplating and creating it, is a way to be in the present moment.”
Paul Cupido — Photographer

CHÂTEAU PALMER : I read that you define yourself as a “moon addict”. Why?

PAUL CUPIDO : Nothing is as existential as the moon. The moon controls ebb and flow, the tides. When seeing the moon, I feel connected to the ones I love. It is a romantic symbol of connection and eternity. 

CHÂTEAU PALMER : You are interested by Japanese art, you use Japanese paper for your prints, you travelled there. Why this culture — haikus, wabi-sabi — is so inspiring ? 

PAUL CUPIDO : My first time in Japan was a shock. It mades me fall in love. In love with the dedication, the aesthetics, the sophistication. Much of what is so beautifully described in the essay In Praise of the Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki. Roland Barthes makes several references to haikus as the best form of interpreting the present. According to Kikou Yamata, haiku is "the art of reducing the infinite pleasure of emotion to its essence".
There is a story about a young poet who writes endless verses to express something very simple and the old master of poetry who is able to express something very complex, such as the meaning of life, in three simple brushstrokes of a haiku. Of course I don’t want to compare myself to a master, but I believe that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Wabi-sabi is being present in the melancholic feeling in which the beauty and transience of life come together. We perceive things that change, that are dynamic, more intensely. Organic structures are the true expression of continuous change.

CHÂTEAU PALMER : When culture is more and more dematerialized, you insist on the need to create beautiful artwork, chose a special blinding, paper and design for your books... Is it a response to forgettable things? A way to fight with disappearance?
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PAUL CUPIDO : There are parallels to winemaking like Palmer does. The processes with full devotion, working towards the highest achievable, but leaving something open to the mystery, something you can’t control or finish yourself. My working method consists of two parts. The first is collecting, a fully intuitively process, in which the emotional experience is key and technique is of minor or very little importance. When photographing, for example, I don’t pay that many attention to sharpness. However, in the second stage, after the material has been collected, I’ll put all the dedication into the work, the editing, the printing. This process can take a long time, just like aging wine. It is impossible to predict what will come out, but I treat this second part with the most care and attention. Knowing, that the real beauty lies in the imperfection, the little mistakes, edges or elements that you didn't foresee.