Paris Kisses, After Süskind and Webb, 7.4m x 2m, 2025

This single panoramic artwork gathers thousands of intimate gestures into one vast, continuous field. Created using AI image searches for “people kissing” in every country in the world, the work assembles a global tapestry of affection: couples from every continent and culture, brought together into a densely layered human mosaic. The Eiffel Tower rises at the centre of this panorama, cutting upward into a breathtaking cosmic sky derived from a single James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) image. This same celestial field stretches across the entire scene—behind the tower, over the treetops, and into the far right where a huge, ancient tree dominates the landscape. The work juxtaposes earthly tenderness with astronomical immensity, creating a dialogue between human closeness and cosmic scale. The piece draws conceptual inspiration from Patrick Süskind’s Perfume, especially its idea of constructing the sublime from countless fragments. Süskind writes: “He wanted to create an exalted scent… composed not of one, but of many essences” (Süskind 1986: 183). In Paris Kisses, this becomes a visual alchemy: the artwork gathers individual kisses—each a small, private moment—and reassembles them into a single overwhelming sensory experience.

The reference to “Webb” acknowledges the James Webb Space Telescope, whose imagery reshapes our understanding of the universe. As NASA describes it: “Webb reveals the cosmos with unprecedented clarity, allowing us to see where stars and galaxies are born” (NASA 2022). This idea resonates deeply with the artwork’s structure: a cosmic backdrop that frames and elevates the human multitude below, suggesting that our most intimate gestures unfold within a universe far older, stranger, and more expansive than ourselves. At 7.4 metres by 2 metres, Paris Kisses immerses the viewer in a planetary portrait of affection. It meditates on global intimacy, sensory overload, and the fragile, luminous connections that bind humanity together beneath the cold grandeur of the stars.

References (Harvard style)
NASA (2022) James Webb Space Telescope: First Images Release Statement. NASA, 12 July.
Süskind, P. (1986) Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. London: Penguin.

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