From carnage :
To conscious :
LATEST EXHIBITION
GRAND PALAIS
LAUNCHING
ER OCEAN RECHERCHE
FEATURED EXHIBITION
LAB GROWN ARTWORKS
EUGENE RICONNEAUS DIARY :
Ocean, Science, Artwork, Fashion,
Grand Palais, Cyanobacteria. Photography ©Eugène Riconneaus
Micron designer
“The job of designers has changed. I now design in microns:
to think big, we need to start extra small”,
Last Heel
The last heel I ever designed - not an end, but a beginning. It marked my shift from designing objects to designing materials themselves: from shaping form to rethinking what form is made of.
From creative
studio
Creative studios 2009-2019
(19-30 years old)
To science
Laboratory
Science Laboratory 2020-2025
(30-35 years old)
ER Ocean Recherche
Cyanobacteria
polarised light micrograph
[Paris, France, April 17th, 2025] French artist Eugène Riconneaus unveils ER Ocean Recherche, a pioneering project at the intersection of material design, biotechnology, and environmental responsibility. Inspired by biomimicry, this initiative transforms one of the ocean’s most overlooked resources—marine biomass—into innovative and sustainable materials. As part of its debut, ER Ocean Recherche will launch its first two marine-derived materials, SeiShell™ and SeiYarn™, in collaboration with exclusive brands, marking a new era of eco-conscious design.
Art as Catalyst: From Ocean Consciousness to Material Change
Blue pigment, Cyanobacteria
Ocean Apocalypse, Grand Palais 2025
Artwork made from marine litter found in Nouvelle Aquitaine
(Seafood Waste, Invasive Algae, Ghosts Fishnets)
Petri Dishes, 2019-24 Artwork Grown in Lab
Experiments from Marine Biomass
(Seafood Waste, Macro Algae, Micro Algae, Invasive Algae)
In his studio, Eugène Riconneaus began exploring bio-inspired materials, crafting his own pigments and polymers by experimenting with marine biomass, such as algae, cyanobacteria and seafood shells. His foray into biomimicry and material science has transformed his art and design practice into a platform for environmental activism.
ER Ocean Recherche
Seiyarn Fiber
Light installation, Marine Bacteria Pigment lights,
Musée des Arts décoratifs
This artwork is composed of eight glass tubes, each containing a distinct hue of blue derived from cyanobacteria.
Displayed as a gradient, the tubes reflect the natural biodegradation of the pigment over time — from vibrant saturation to subtle fading. Each tube represents one month in the life of the color, forming an evolving portrait of living matter and its impermanence.
«Cyanoscape» is both a material archive and a meditation on transformation — where science, time, and marine life converge in shades of blue.
ATLANTIC LANDSCAPE, 2021
Artwork grown in lab – from marine biomass
(seafood waste, cyanobacteria, algae polymer & fiber)© Eugène Riconneaus / ADAGP, Paris 2025
This artwork was grown — not built. Every part of it comes from the ocean: the polymer, the pigment, even the salt. Algae gave its structure. Bacteria gifted its color. Evaporation shaped its final form.
Research: Chromatic Study (Blue, Black) – Transition from Petrochemistry to a New Marine Polymer.
5 Oceans, One Mission
Lab grown, 2024
Oceano Azul Foundation Collection
Water Is the Creator, 2025
225 cm x 50cm diameter
Seaweed-based biopolymer, seawater, evaporation kit
A circular seaweed biopolymer sculpture is activated with seawater.
Over 24 hours, it dissolves into a vortex — matter and water spiraling into disappearance.
With the provided tools, the liquid is filtered and evaporated; the recovered biomass allows the work to be reconstituted and reborn again and again.
Riconneaus invites us to rethink what we transmit: not fixed objects, but processes of renewal — a meditation on impermanence, regeneration, and the intelligence of water.
Private Collection, Dubai.
Mask grown in lab from marine bacteria
Mask grown in lab from marine bacteria
I don’t often paint with oil anymore — but sometimes I need to.
These works depict a planet within a planet — a melancholic reflection from my generation on the future of our world.
Two worlds coexist here: the patterns of the past and the outlines of what’s to come.
Through these paintings, I hope to speak to my generation —
to transmit a message, a quiet call —
Eugène Riconneaus