Totem represents the fully realised visual language of Christian Astuguevieille's distinctive artistic practice. The designer has developed what he terms an "imaginary writing"—a hybrid vocabulary that merges representational motifs drawn from civilisation's material culture, including vessels and ceremonial objects, with more fluid abstract gestures. Executed in India ink using bold brushwork across vertically oriented compositions, the design extends this inventive vocabulary across the paper's surface with the spontaneous quality of works on tracing paper, creating a contemplative interplay between figurative symbol and gestural mark.
