Mireille Robbe

Mireille Robbe

Mireille Robbe, born in 1962, is a Belgian artist whose work delves into the intricate relationship between nature, psychology, and the human experience. Through her art, she encourages viewers to reconsider the hidden symbols and details of the world around them—elements often overlooked due to their seeming self-evidence. Her explorations into alchemy serve as an endless source of inspiration, drawing connections between the natural world and human psychology, much like the surrealists, who infused recognizable reality with mysticism and eroticism. Robbe’s work invites reflection on the essential beauty found in the minutiae of life, bridging the tangible and the imaginary.

Artistic Themes and Philosophy

Robbe’s practice is heavily influenced by a kaleidoscope of life experiences. She has described her process as a search for herself, carried out through various methods such as painting, intuition, and reading. Her works often embody life’s essential questions about existence and death, merging the physical world with magical imaginations. Robbe's art echoes the notion of individuation, challenging viewers to think differently about their relationship with the world.

In her pieces, Robbe emphasizes nature’s ingenuity, often referencing organic forms and their connection to human emotions and psychology. Her use of alchemy as a metaphorical and literal tool guides her creative process, offering a framework to explore transformation, both of materials and of ideas. Her work invites reflection on the hidden elements of life that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The Anthracologie Series

One of Robbe's most notable bodies of work is the Anthracologie series, which takes inspiration from anthracology, a branch of archaeology that studies charcoal preserved through carbonization. In this series, she draws from microscope images of charcoal, using its structural forms to craft 3D images and drawings. Robbe’s choice of materials, particularly paper made from wood and pages from old books, underscores the symbolic connection between charcoal and the passage of time.

In pieces such as the Cabinet Anthracologique, Robbe uses her art to represent rarities preserved by anthracologists, presenting them in a way that reflects the value of both charcoal and historical knowledge. The ink stains, burned holes, and pencil circles in her drawings mimic the intricate wood structure seen through a microscope, creating a dialogue between nature’s transformations and the preservation of history. This series is a powerful meditation on how organic materials—and the stories they tell—are linked to human existence.