A self-taught man, researcher and photographer, Charles Pétillon considers himself an image ethnologist and an archaeologist of forms.  Each of his images are created in accordance with a very precise procedure and guided by an immersion into the natural environment, which is at the center of his practice.  Using white balloons, Pétillon creates large-scale installations that are hauntingly beautiful.  While the balloons call to mind a childlike humor and innocence, they are also somewhat threatening, hence the name of a series called Invasions at Sous Les Etoiles Gallery.  For Pétillon, “These balloon invasions are metaphors.  Their goal is to change the way in which we see the things we live alongside each day without really noticing them.  It is our way of looking at things that I am trying to transform and revive, and therefore make it possible to go beyond practical perception to aesthetic experience.”

Pétillon has recently been commissioned for several installations, including Heartbeat, which featured over 100,000 balloons installed at Covent Garden in London.