When I first encountered Charlotte L’Hameroult’s work, I was captivated by her vision of the world, particularly the one she engages with during an altered state of consciousness induced by deep hypnosis. She brings this world closer to us through her notes, visions, the latest scientific findings, and her art. Her main theme is introspection—the exploration of human consciousness, the concept of self-knowledge, and a play with the tension between the mundane and the sacred moments, as well as with the ancient force between the visible and invisible that connects us.

South African archaeologist David Lewis-Williams interprets ancient rock paintings as results of shamanic rituals and altered states of consciousness, where trance may have played a key role not only in the creation of art and religion but also in human evolution.

So how can artistic practice affect each of us? Is it possible to find a common thread of our subconscious and experiences? Is there a boundary between what is presented to us and the creative process itself? Between unity and the whole?

In her work, Charlotte explores the boundary between what is revealed and what remains hidden. She works with a diversity of materials and techniques, from collages and prints of her DNA via lip marks to working with matière noire (dark matter) created with mineral pigments, wax, and oil. She combines performance, photography, painting, and textiles, developing her artistic work into sensitive installations in the field of visual art. She likes to say that she upcycles thoughts and uses materials in an ever-changing world.

The In Between exhibition is a line of time-emptiness—a breath. It is a state between us and the artist, between art and its primordial ability to be found and transformed by it.

The first piece is the self-portrait “Between You and Me” / “Mezi tebou a mnou,” in which we can recognize the artist’s face, inviting us on a ritual journey through our subconscious. Here, we are the creators of our own world. Just as Ariadne’s thread guided Theseus through the labyrinth, so Charlotte weaves a line from the visible to the completely hidden. In another of her works, “Gnothi seauton,” she draws inspiration from Socrates’ statement “Know yourself.” It opens up questions about philosophical concepts of self-knowledge through a self-portrait divided into two parts and a painting depicting theta wave radiation that occurs in the human brain during a trance state.

One of her central series, “Plans contact d’une apprentie” / “Contact Plans of an Apprentice,” is created through a combination of hypnosis, photography, and drawing, telling a profound story about the artistic process and consciousness. The works are accompanied by chanting, which, via a QR code, allows visitors to access additional dimensions of reality.

The triptych “La chercheuse de lumière” / “The Seeker of Light,” in which the artist is completely hidden under fabric covered with kisses that merge with her body, where the shapes converge to form a unified universal shape; the boundaries dissolve.

All these works, like her other pieces, are connected by an imaginary red thread from the installation “The Weight of the Soul” / “Váha duše” and “Le temps dû,” transitioning into experimental forms and offering a deeper understanding of the whole, also reflected in the performance the artist will present at the opening.

Karla Hospodářská, exhibition curator