Mixed media sculpture – dagger, blown glass, cristal pearls (from an early XXe Portuguese chandelier) -, 60 x 20 cm (23,6 x 8 inches), 2013.
view from Victory obsessed, collective show, Zamek Culture Center, Poznan (PL), 2013.
Invited by the curator Agata Rogoś to exhibit at the Zamek Culture Center, I found myself visiting this large building freshly renovated: a magnificent place, which nevertheless made me shudder when I discovered, identically renovated, Hitler’s office and appartment. I was challenged by the design of the 3rd Reich, particularly by the luminous sconces made of crystal, making the long corridors sparkle. I set out to create a new Knife (see my Knife, … series) to come and pierce the wall, as if to burst an abscess. A strong image came to my mind: that of the Diodon fish which, when afraid have the particularity of swelling their body strewn with thorns to protect themselves. Then in reference to the stigmata of the history and the place, I decided to hijack a hunting dagger (which were carried by the SS) and to decorate the handle with a blown glass, on which I came to glue crystal beads in provenance of a Portuguese candlestick from the early 20th century. This as a reminder of Salazar: the only dictator in place in Europe at that time, when Hitler was doing everything to become one. Subtle powers of crystal: the act of coming and puncturing that wall acted as if to destroy these fascist doctrines, and as if to heal them, letting the sparkles of the crystal respond and spread. C.L.
Since 2013, I have started a long-term series called Knife, … then I add the name of the city for which I created it, as if to mark a place or a belonging. Like a ritual object, each knife is defined by its ability to open, pierce, cut, stab … a wall. Scrupulously chosen, the materials evoke the history of a place, or relate to certain emotions that it can induce. The Knife,… embody a gesture that tries to pierce an infection or to open other horizons. C.L.
view from PARADE BILATERALE, solo show, White Project Gallery, Paris (FR), 2015.
Link to the show Victory Obsessed
Link to the show PARADE BILATERALE