Amélie Bouvier (1982)
Lives and works in Brussels
Amélie Bouvier’s practice unfolds at the intersection of astronomy, scientific imagery, and collective imagination. She is drawn to the ways societies observe the sky and, in doing so, produce, circulate, and inherit images that shape how the universe is understood. Working from the archives of astronomical observatories, Bouvier traces the history of looking upward, with particular attention to the profound shift brought about by the introduction of photography as a scientific tool at the end of the nineteenth century.
For Bouvier, astronomical images are never neutral. They extend knowledge while simultaneously carrying speculative, cultural, and ideological narratives. The sky becomes a landscape through which contemporary contradictions emerge, revealing human ambition and vulnerability, as well as the recurring tension between nature and technology. Grounded in historical facts, data, and visual records, her work deliberately rearranges the boundaries between reality and fiction, allowing alternative readings and imagined futures to coexist with scientific certainty.
Drawing lies at the core of her practice, serving as both a method of inquiry and a space for speculation. From this foundation, Bouvier expands into video, installation, and sculptural forms, amplifying the physical and conceptual presence of her research. Through these mediums, she investigates how astronomical images come into being and how they enter collective memory, revealing not only what we choose to remember, but also the imaginaries and blind spots embedded within scientific representation.
