Photo Essay: Jean-Francois Rauzier

At the SWCAC

Thank you for joining the four of us on a cloudy, cold day on an search for art at the Shenzhen World Culture and Art Center. The last time we visited (read that here) to see the works of Alphonse Mucha. This is a great museum, opened in 2017, designed in modern style by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki.

We were drawn out today to see the Monet-inspired work of Hyperphotography specialist Jean-Franois Rauzier. I’ve seen Monet’s famous works in The Met, such as “The Japanese Bridge in Giverny”, so we’re totally up for this.

Hyperphotography is Jean-Francois’s process of taking multiple of images of a scene or architecture and intertwining elements in a complex way to create an abstraction that flips between reality and illusion. In 2022, The Claude Monet Foundation invited Jean-Francois to Giverny to work in Monet’s house and garden. Now in 2025, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Impressionism, SWCAC is showcasing this and other works of the artist.

The “Tree Series” uses floral images from Monet’s garden to create images of fantastical trees. Think about the contrast between the extended life of a tree and the fleeting decay of flowers. Animals, butterflies, and birds are scattered throughout.

The “Abstract Series” starts with a directly captured image, which Jean-Francois then interweaves with floral images and infuses the environment with light. I found this series the most chaotic.

The “Classic Series”, an earlier work from Jean-Francois’s career, first presented to the public in 2002. As a photographer in the 1970s, he had wanted to create impossible images and now the technology had caught up to the intention. Many works focus on cultural heritage and recognizable buildings and motifs. It feels like being in a fantastic dream.

My favorite image of the exhibition, this infinite replication of the Palace of Versailles feels the jumping off point of an epic mystery. I feel like I’m there, I want to catch up to the trenchcoated man in black, or I want to be him.

“Monet’s House” is a series inspired by Monet’s home and garden in Giverny, France. The garden that inspired Monet’s famous works, “Water Lillies”, and “The Japanese Bridge in Giverny”.

We close with the words of Jean-Francois himself. We went to see this show towards the end of January, Chinese New Year, after a long holiday full of fun, but also stress and pressure. Art and Nature refresh the spirit like nothing else can. Jean-Francois Rauzier gave us both.🙏