"500,000 is the number of chimpanzees left on Earth. They are in danger, because of us alone. Yet, Mathilda is at peace, lying there, in the middle of the street. She gazes into our eyes with kindness and tenderness. Emotion is at the heart of my work. I perceive it as the genesis of a connection between two elements. The stronger the emotion, the more intense the connection, and the greater the impact. Mathilda's gaze touches me to the core of my Being. It is this emotional process that I seek to reveal by representing the Living. If we take the time to contemplate it deeply, there is something unique in the gaze. Something true. Something pure. Something that sometimes, we humans, have lost by excluding ourselves from the Living; yet, we are still part of it...

I dedicate this painting to the organizations, associations, sanctuaries… that are working tirelessly to ensure the survival of chimpanzee populations."