MERCURIAL PEARL

concepts

GRIFFES

Giulia Oldani x Mercurial Pearl

Nail artist: Giulia Oldani | Model: Mercurial Pearl | Stylist: Fernanda Cassel | Photographer: Thanira Rates

We often downplay others experiences, usually for lack of understanding. Just as we are prone to dismiss grief, until it happens to us. Both trivialized and obsessed over, painted nails and acrylics serve many as tiny canvases for self-expression.

Yet anyone who’s broken a nail or struggled with extravagant extensions, can relate to the pain and frustration that ensues. It can be sudden, poignant, constant, fleeting… And just as we cannot directly experience the tactile sensation of someone else’s nails, we cannot truly comprehend another person’s grief.

This collaboration explores moments of disruption and improvised solutions, drawing parallels with how individuals navigate (or avoid) grief.

Presented here are two visual stories:
1. Navigating grief with the burden of “griffes” (claws in French)
2. The grief of a broken nail

The sculptural works evoke lineage, vanity and transformation. “L’arbre des griffes” (The tree of claws) features nails displayed in an antique family photo frame, while “Eau de chagrin” (Eau de grief), presents a broken nail; broken by a nail.