The Deep Blue with Dr. Carole Azuar | Galerie XII, Santa Monica, CA

Abyss Blue by Dr. Carole Azuar

Santa Monica, CA, June 24, 2023

> Carole Azuar's Abyss Blue exhibition is held at Galerie XII at Bergamot Arts Center in Santa Monica, CA, from June 24 to August 24, 2023.

I am not sure if it is the “Deep Blue” with or by Carole Azuar, but what is certain is that Carole enraptures us to the abyss of the ocean with her photos. In 2005 during a trip to the Maldives, Carole embarked her husband with her on a voyage under the sea. After the initiation course in the lagoon (rather than in a swimming pool, like in most cases), it was love at first dive.

Carole developed such a passion for scuba diving that her ardor has led her to the deepest level: diving to sixty meters. The human body, wrapped in a wet suit, cannot go any farther under the surface, and can only stay twelve minutes.

Then came the time Carole wanted to share with others the unusual beauty she was seeing and captivated by. She equipped herself with a small camera and a flashlight — she did not want to use a flash so as not to disturb the fish. She brought back to the air uncommon pictures, that sometimes because of the alteration of her brain due to the nitrogen narcosis, she does not remember having taken. But when she describes her photos, she takes a trip down memory “dive” and recollects the exact circumstances of where and how the shot was taken. It almost feels like you are diving with her. Each photograph has its own tale and Carole, with her soft voice and charming energy, is a great storyteller.

She is fascinated by the blue of the underwater world. And, after having dived all over the globe, she emphasizes that the darkest blue is the one of the Mediterranean Sea. Did you know that after thirty meters underwater, the only color you can see is blue, unless you have a light? It seemed that her last name, Azuar, was predestined to her life in blue.

When it is comes to printing the images, which actually look almost like paintings, it is another challenge as Carole wants the canvas to reflect the blue that she has seen when diving. She recollects the difficulties she encountered in order to capture the images: currents, temperatures, visibility, to name just a few. So, a few proofs to get to the right color is not going to scare her.

Carole Azuar is an accomplished French neurologist, living and practicing in Paris, specialized in brain disease and memory disorders. Putting on paper her visuals from under the sea is the perfect way to commemorate the underwater eden she explored.

> The exhibition is organized by Union des Français à l’Étranger Los Angeles and Galerie XII Los Angeles.
• UFE is an association for French expatriates and is present in 100 countries through 170 representations. Founded in 1927, it defends and supports the interests of French people living abroad with public authorities.
• Galerie XII, founded by Valerie-Anne Giscard d’Estaing in 2007 in Paris, focuses on contemporary photography. Galerie XII Los Angeles opened in 2018.

Bergamot Arts Center, #B2, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404