Category Archives: Our authors

Tal Waldman: « Drawing Inward »

Tal Waldman, a multidisciplinary artist, is the recipient of the Grand Prix Dessin from the Taylor Foundation in 2023, as well as the Excellence Award from the American University of Paris and Modern Art Energy Japan at the Festival of Sacred Art in Compiègne in 2021. She also won the Grand Prix for Environmental Art at the Salon d’Automne in 2016, and the City of Paris Award in 2009 for her contemporary perspectives on jacquard tapestry. Her sculptures and drawings are part of public and private collections, notably in the department of Aube.

Tal’s solo exhibitions, such as “La Voie d’Expérimentation” at the Cité du Vitrail in Troyes (2023) and “Mémoires Brodées” at the Museum of Art and Industry La Piscine in Roubaix (2016), as well as her presence at international art fairs and galleries, highlight her engagement with the public. Her recent publications, including “Visualizing the Invisible” (2022) and “La Voie d’Expérimentation” (2023), reflect her extensive research. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as RFILe MondeElle DécorationArtensionArgument, and others.

Focused on Deep Ecology, Tal explores the interconnection between nature, consciousness, and society through various artistic mediums. She sheds light on spiritual, social, and ecological themes, addressing topics such as perception, mindfulness, interdependence, femininity, the collective memory of immigrants, the circular economy, and ecological production.

Nicole Lamothe, art critic, wrote in the catalog of the 2023 Taylor Foundation Grand Prix for Watercolor:
“Research is a constant for this artist, who explores all possibilities of visual creation to convey her reflection on our behavior and reactions to life. Consciousness, chance, and the subconscious merge in her work. Tal Waldman studied painting, drawing, and architecture, leading to works that are often highly structured, combining figuration and abstraction. Her travels in Africa, Asia, and Europe partly fuel her creation, which balances order and disorder. Often produced in series, her compositions don’t tell a story but rather explore an intimate perception of the world, like a meditation. Waldman seeks to express the invisible and depict the close relationships between spirit and body, themes she deepens in her series that intertwine reflection and dreamlike qualities. Blended colors and light are fundamental in this process, creating between chance and control. Forms merge in an elegant, colorful mosaic. Today, her drawings have grown larger, inviting multiple interpretations: organic forms, cosmic space. The relationship between body, mind, and art is at the core of Waldman’s research, forming a body of work that is innovative and timeless.”

The work ‘Drawing Inward’ was published on the occasion of her exhibition at the AYN Gallery in Paris, 20, rue Saint Louis en l’Ile, in 2024. It was published bilingually in French and English.
The book was created in co-operation with AYN Gallery.

Ali El Hadj

The author of “Les Fondateurs” is Ali El Hadj Tahar, an Algerian journalist and art critic, who played an essential role in promoting Algerian artists and culture during his service at the Ministry of Culture in Algiers. His English Literature studies at the University of Algiers laid the foundations for an exceptional career. In 1974, he began collaborating with francophone newspapers, including Alger RéalitésAlgérie-Actualité, and El Moudjahid. In 1984, he became a professional journalist at Révolution Africaine, marking the beginning of a distinguished career in various newspapers and magazines, specializing in art criticism. His contributions include numerous studies on art, culture, cities, and society, as well as portraits of poets and writers. He also played a key role in shedding light on the life and work of many Algerian visual artists. Ali El Hadj Tahar is also a painter and poet, adding a creative dimension to his rich career.

Author Armin Steinbach

In his debut novel ‘Niemandsland’, Armin Steinbach tells of origins and family, youth, love and the centre of life. What can keep us going when life gets out of sync?
ARMIN STEINBACH was born in Hamburg in 1978, where he graduated from the Christianeum in 1998. He subsequently studied law and economics in Berlin, Munich and Bonn on a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation.
In 2003 he passed his first state examination in law, in 2004 he graduated in economics in Berlin and in 2008 he passed his second state examination in law.
He received his doctorate in law from the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and his doctorate in economics from the University of Erfurt.
After working at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva and as a lawyer in Brussels, he joined the ministerial service in Berlin as a civil servant in 2009. From there, he moved to the Bundestag as economic policy advisor to Frank Walter Steinmeier, the leader of the opposition at the time.
Steinbach completed his habilitation at the Max Planck Institute for Public Goods and the University of Bonn in 2017. His habilitation thesis Rational Legislation received several awards. After his return to ministerial service, he headed the economic policy policy department at the Federal Ministry of Economics and subsequently the fiscal policy policy department at the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
In 2021, Steinbach accepted an appointment as a full professor at the École des hautes études commerciales (HEC) in Paris.
He lives and teaches in Paris and Geneva.

Hermann E. Schütte

Hermann E. Schütte  wurde 1893 in Osnabrück geboren. In den 1. Weltkrieg als Freiwilliger hinein und kam, nachdem er in Rumänien gekämpft und 1917 verletzt worden war, als überzeugter Pazifist aus diesem wieder heraus. In den 20er Jahren siedelte er nach Hamburg über. In der Zeit der Nazi-Herrschaft von 1933-45 ruhte sein schöpferisches Schaffen komplett, er befand sich in der inneren Emigration.

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Sim Kessel

Sim KESSEL wurde 1919 in Paris als Sohn jüdischer Eltern geboren. Er war junger Berufsboxer als er zum Armeedienst eingezogen wurde. Nach der Niederlage Frankreichs gegen das III. Reich schloss er sich schnell einer Widerstandsorganisation an und wurde bei einer Aktion durch die Maschinenpistolen, die seine Einheit vor der Kapitulation vergraben hatte, vom freien in den besetzten Teil Frankreichs geschmuggelt werden sollten, gefasst und der Gestapo in Lyon übergeben. Continue reading Sim Kessel