Sarah Moon's Ghostly Gardens Dialogue with Monet in Rouen

Sarah Moon (born 1941) presents 'D'après nature', a double exhibition at the Centre photographique Rouen Normandie and the pavillon du jardin des Plantes de Rouen, part of the sixth edition of the Normandie Impressionniste festival. The festival celebrates the centenary of Claude Monet's death with 75 projects under the theme 'Un possible jardin', referencing his garden in Giverny. Moon created new photographs during a residency in Normandy, capturing Monet's pond and the botanical garden of Vauville. These works dialogue with dreamlike pieces from the past 40 years, including large-format prints like 'Le Pavot' (1997), 'L'Avant-Dernière Pivoine' (2011), and 'En plein vol' (2013), as well as reflections in a mirror at Palazzo Fortuny in Venice. Moon's use of close-ups, blur, and accidents transforms landscapes into ghostly, fossil-like images. Colors are muted or tropically toxic, and green appears only on stuffed parrots. She works with Polaroid negatives or in the darkroom, embracing accidents that disturb the photographic surface. Curator Raphaëlle Stopin describes the garden as an intimate, interior space for projecting memories. The exhibition runs from May 30 to September 26, 2026 at the Centre photographique Rouen Normandie, and from May 30 to August 2, 2026 at the pavillon du jardin des Plantes. The festival spans May 29 to September 27, 2026 across Normandy.