Restoration is a good compromise between my interest in art and art history – which is very theoretical – my artistic sensibility and my love for manual work. Moreover, the fact that it is essential to respect the work of another, to work without altering their intention, fits me well.

Restoration involves traditional techniques and materials that have been used since the beginning of the discipline. However, scientific innovations play an important role today. New methods are constantly being studied and developed to ensure the sustainability of artworks.

My three months internship in a convent in Syria where we were working on icons. This was two years before the war started. It was a beautiful country, and I created deep links with some of the other trainees, which are still unbreakable today.

As far as possible, all our interventions should be reversible. For example, we do not use oil paint for alterations, but ground pigments bonded to varnish. In this way, retouches can be easily removed with solvents in future interventions.