Victor Douieb’s passions run deep and are
many, appearing to combine these notions of
beauty and the sublime into one singular yet
somewhat circular activity: when he sees a
beautiful animal in its natural surroundings,
he experiences something impossible to describe
with words alone and is compelled to re-create
the encounter in artistic form. Through this
process, he closes the circle — from natural
beautiful form to artistically beautiful form.
Asked where his true passion ultimately
lies, Victor cites the crossroad of his
elemental love of all animals and the sense of
adventure he derives from the pursuit of getting as
close to them as he can. Whether it’s scuba diving
with sharks of all manner or getting into an enclosure
with a tiger or wolf, witnessing these beings in their
world with such deep respect for them is key to this
distinctive rendering of immersion therapy.
One of his first and still current passions is deep sea
diving; an avocation he’d once hoped might have
become his profession.
As a boy growing up on the outskirts of Paris, France,
animals with wildlife in
particular captivated
Victor as far back as
he could remember.
One of his earliest
childhood memories
was around age seven
and skipping school to
sneak into the circus
when it had come to
town. Standing as close as possible to the elephant
and lion enclosures the scent of those powerful
creatures became seared into his memory. To such
a young boy their immensity created a potent and
indelible impression.
At 13 his family would vacation on the beaches of
Spain each summer while he would instead spend
his time at a nearby equestrian center, trading chores
in the stable for a chance to learn how to ride horses.
Victor would eventually become an excellent horseman
and even own several Appaloosas as an adult.
But his passion for animals truly ignited when he
read Jacques Cousteau’s seminal work Le Monde Du Silence (The Silent World). Its subtitle “A story of
undersea discovery and adventure, by the first men
to swim at record depths with the freedom of fish”
bewitched the young teen. He yearned to grow up
and become one Dr. Cousteau’s “Aquanauts” so that
he too could experience the magic of this hidden
underwater universe.
Although that particular variation of his diving
pursuits went unrealized, in the coastal waters of
southern France when he was 18 Victor received his
scuba diving certification.
During the following
decades, the adventurer
would travel extensively
to dive the exotic locales
of Fiji, the Bahamas,
the coast of Egypt, and
elsewhere. He would go
to Kenya on a safari to see
great wild beasts such as
the rhino and hippo, each
new experience effectively
building upon the previous.
Instagram photo gallery.
