Olivia Topa, a Romanian artist based in Luxembourg, explores the art of light through papier- mâché sculptures inspired by traditional Chinese and Japanese lanterns. A translator by profession, she discovered freedom and poetry in manual creation—initially through pottery, felted wool jewellery and mosaics. However, it was through a correspondence course with American artist Stephen White that, five years ago, she developed a complex technique combining rolled rattan, rice paper, wood, and electrical installations. On a flexible wooden structure, twelve layers of hand-torn paper are glued together like a ‘skin’—incredibly delicate yet resilient. For the 2025 De Mains De Maîtres Biennale, she presents Hêtre de lumière, a work inspired by a photograph of her son in the forest. The sculpture depicts a mangrove root with an illuminated crown and papier-mâché branches, facing a small paper figure. A wave passes through the figure’s hand upon contact with the bark, symbolising an intimate exchange between humans and plants. A sensitive and dreamlike work that beautifully embodies the theme of Nature singulière.