Éva Jospin on Her Cardboard Forests and Garden Follies

In a 2018 interview republished by artpress in June 2019, Éva Jospin discusses her exhibitions Panorama, Nymphée, and Ada at Domaine de Trévarez (May 12–October 14, 2018) and Folie at Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire (March 31–November 4, 2018). Jospin explains her use of cardboard as a primary material, which she molds into concrete for outdoor works like the fountains at Trévarez and Chaumont-sur-Loire. She incorporates found objects such as Turkish limestone, shells, thyme leaves, and terracotta casts. Her installations embrace natural decay—lichen, insects, moisture—as part of the artwork's evolution. Jospin describes her forest installations as mental landscapes, not figurative, inviting projections of childhood fears and fairy tales. She contrasts her meticulous work with the economics of art production, noting that cardboard allows for rapid, cost-effective creation compared to bronze or wood. Her drawings, often mistaken as preparatory, are independent works in ink or pencil. Jospin acknowledges affinities with Art Brut and the obsessive craftsmanship of reliquaries, but distinguishes her training at Beaux-Arts. The interview was conducted by Philippe Godin and accompanied by images from her 2019 exhibition at Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve in Paris.