Large sourire, chef de village (2020) Sculpture by Sandrine Vachon Thiebaut

I was impatiently waiting for the rainy season. From the first drops, it was the call of the earth... I rolled in the mud like a beautiful worm. I impregnated my precious pieces of fabric, stolen from my mother.

And when the time was right, I came out of my slush to sculpt the bodies of my rag dolls. Attached to the branches of the papaya and lemon trees, they cracked in the sun revealing the true color of their hearts, sparkling in the light.

It was like a ritual, every day at the same time, new bodies and heads were hanging from the branches. Rain after rain, my puppet puppets were washed away, faded, finally becoming tatters.

This is how I created generations of dolls, from mud and fabric. It was good, we told each other stories.

I had built a family, I was happy.

I was eight years old.

I lived in Burkina Faso.

• Nationality: FRANCE
• Date of birth : 1965
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary French Artists