French artist Hermentaire is a multi-disciplinary artist and a collaborator with Maison Balzac on the artwork of our Le Rêve candle in 2021 - his latest exhibition showing at Otomys in Melbourne until 7th March, When My Eyes Wake Up At Night To Wander, is an invitation to contemplate, to drift, to lose oneself in imaginary realms, to allow your eyes to wake and wander.
Enjoy our interview with Hermentaire
Was there a specific dream or sequence of dreams that inspired the works within When My Eyes Wake Up At Night To Wander?
"Rather than a single dream, my work is nourished by a continuous flow of nocturnal visions—fragments of dreams that linger in my mind upon waking. These images, born from the night’s wanderings, seep into my unconscious before resurfacing on the canvas. Elusive yet vivid, they feel like echoes of an inner world that exists beyond logic. The exhibition is a reflection of these drifting visions, where the boundaries between reality and imagination dissolve. Each painting is an open door to a dreamscape, a moment suspended between wakefulness and slumber."
French artist Hermentaire is a multi-disciplinary artist and a collaborator with Maison Balzac on the artwork of our Le Rêve candle in 2021 - his latest exhibition showing at Otomys in Melbourne until 7th March, When My Eyes Wake Up At Night To Wander, is an invitation to contemplate, to drift, to lose oneself in imaginary realms, to allow your eyes to wake and wander.
Enjoy our interview with Hermentaire
Was there a specific dream or sequence of dreams that inspired the works within When My Eyes Wake Up At Night To Wander?
"Rather than a single dream, my work is nourished by a continuous flow of nocturnal visions—fragments of dreams that linger in my mind upon waking. These images, born from the night’s wanderings, seep into my unconscious before resurfacing on the canvas. Elusive yet vivid, they feel like echoes of an inner world that exists beyond logic. The exhibition is a reflection of these drifting visions, where the boundaries between reality and imagination dissolve. Each painting is an open door to a dreamscape, a moment suspended between wakefulness and slumber."
How do you use colour to evoke emotion in your work?
"Colour in my work is deeply instinctive, functioning almost as an emotional language of its own. I rely on contrasts and subtle harmonies to evoke mystery, introspection, and a quiet, sometimes nostalgic energy. Light and shadow interact to create a sense of presence and absence, drawing the viewer into an ambiguous, dreamlike atmosphere. My goal is not merely to depict a scene but to translate a feeling—one that resonates on an unconscious level, as if inviting the viewer into a dream they have somehow already encountered."
If the exhibition was a scent, what notes would it be?
"The exhibition would carry the scent of a dream lingering in the air—fresh green stems evoking fleeting visions, incense weaving a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious, and cedarwood grounding it all in memory. A hint of jasmine, luminous yet elusive, drifts like an echo of something just beyond reach. Naturally, it would be Le Rêve by Maison Balzac."
How do you use colour to evoke emotion in your work?
"Colour in my work is deeply instinctive, functioning almost as an emotional language of its own. I rely on contrasts and subtle harmonies to evoke mystery, introspection, and a quiet, sometimes nostalgic energy. Light and shadow interact to create a sense of presence and absence, drawing the viewer into an ambiguous, dreamlike atmosphere. My goal is not merely to depict a scene but to translate a feeling—one that resonates on an unconscious level, as if inviting the viewer into a dream they have somehow already encountered."
If the exhibition was a scent, what notes would it be?
"The exhibition would carry the scent of a dream lingering in the air—fresh green stems evoking fleeting visions, incense weaving a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious, and cedarwood grounding it all in memory. A hint of jasmine, luminous yet elusive, drifts like an echo of something just beyond reach. Naturally, it would be Le Rêve by Maison Balzac."
Join us on our journey
Join us on our journey
