Leo Alcaraz

A young illustrator, graphic designer, and silkscreen artist, Léo Alcaraz, known as Alca, is an explorer of the image trained at ESAL Épinal. A true 'Swiss Army knife' of the graphic arts, he moves with rare ease between the precision of the pen, the fluidity of watercolor, and the rigor of painting. His first publishing project, Sentinelle, revealed a talent for visual storytelling, but it is in the constant experimentation of printing techniques that he finds his full expression.

A master of silkscreen and engraving, Léo has recently returned to raw matter through a passion for wood engraving (xylography). This physical approach to image-making, where the act of carving the medium is as important as the final drawing, gives his work an organic and timeless depth. Between fine craft and contemporary illustration, Alca shapes a universe where the trace, whether inked or sculpted, becomes a witness to a sensitivity rooted in wood, transforming each work into a tactile object of memory.

For his residency at Rocabella, Léo Alcaraz joins the collective project 'Future Archaeologies' with a proposal titled 'Prints of the Sentinel.' His challenge is to translate the estate's architecture and nature through artisanal reproduction techniques, creating a 'low-tech' visual archive of the domain.

The project focuses on two creative axes. Seaside xylography: carving woodblocks inspired by the textures of Rocabella, maritime pine bark, the reliefs of the neo-classical villas, to produce prints that seem to originate from a future civilization rediscovering printing. Atmospheric silkscreen: using the unique light of the Riviera to create graphic compositions overlaying the silhouettes of the estate.

By working with wood at the heart of the gardens, Léo aims to leave a 'monumental trace' of the stay. His engravings will act as paper stelae, documenting the resilience of the coastal landscape. At Rocabella, Alca transforms the splendor of the site into a series of poetic imprints, proving that the craftsman's hand is the most faithful tool for archiving the beauty of a sustainable future.