Born in 1975 in Belgium, Gregory BAÔO is a visual artist whose practice lies at the intersection of photography, memory, and material. Working from original vintage photographs and period negatives sourced from international archives and private collections, he reinterprets icons of cinema and popular culture in dialogue with the present.

 

At the core of his approach is a studio practice that combines image-making with elements of artistic jewelry. Before each work is produced, precise visual references and a structured organization of crystalline material are developed. The artworks, released in limited editions, balance methodological rigor with the singularity of the manual gesture, allowing each piece to retain its own presence.

 

Each creation involves a specific selection of Swarovski crystals, chosen for their ability to capture light and transform the photographic surface. Applied by hand, they confer a tactile, sculptural, and vibrant dimension to the image. Their precious nature lies in the memory they carry, evoking images to be preserved, as if held within a symbolic case of time and remembrance.

 

An essential dimension of his work resides in the discreet insertion of authentic quotations drawn from the voices of the represented figures. Subtly concealed within the composition, these fragments act as inner voices and invite a gradual reading beyond first sight.

 

Through selective color, the recurring use of pink, the material presence of crystals, and the visible manual gesture, Gregory BAÔO transforms archival photography into a sensitive and narrative object. His work questions how icons travel through time, reappear in ou present, and continue to connect generations.