Seconde Nature (Second Nature)

Through her works, Nelly Saunier explores states of being, origins, and the emergence of new life. Her practice questions our intimate bond with nature—its beauty, its strength, and its extraordinary capacity for transformation. Paying tribute to this vitality, she highlights the living world’s ability to adapt: the passage from one state to another, the resilience to overcome obstacles, always in metamorphosis.

The works presented resonate with a concern close to the artist’s heart: offering a vision of hope in the face of fragile ecosystems. What is humanity’s place today? Will Nature survive the Anthropocene era? Will its resilience give rise to a “Second Nature”?

These creations evoke a hybridization of human, tree, and bird. They suggest a body merging with the vegetal world, bearing new life symbolized by the bird—a breath of renewal.

Created from reclaimed materials (cardboard, wood, fabric, feathers…), these works—at once sculptural and symbolic explorations—tell stories of molting, of a second skin, of transition. They remind us of the urgency of preserving what connects us to the living world.