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| Philippe Mayaux |
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For L.F.D.A. 02.For La Force de l’Art 02, Philippe Mayaux proposes a space in which several works of varying formats offer an unflinching examination of the absurdity and ridiculousness of the human condition. To a soundtrack of buzzing flies – symbolising indolence and, according to Sartre’s 1943 eponymous tragedy Les Mouches, the irrepressible freedom of existence – we find ourselves face-to-face with “portraits” using a play of mirrors to reflect our own vanities back at us. We see, in succession, a visceral representation of the “original family”, presenting portraits of the father, mother and son in the form of paintings, but which are actually cut-outs from lengths of intestine (Come to Daddy, Kiss me Mammy and Play with me Freddy, 2009) ; rats engaged in a fruitless, pointless treasure hunt (L’interaction forte, 2008) ; a drawing showing the plan of a cathedral of the future, created entirely from bones (L’édifice os, 2009) ; and a sculpture of a skull in “petrol”, laughing hysterically at the situation (KIRI noir, 2009). In another space, mechanical hands brandish and wave protest placards (Les agitateurs, 2008). Despite their massed presence, their diverse demands reflect the multiplicity of human personalities, unable to agree on a single, coherent path of action, with each individual vainly repeating their wish to see their personal utopia become reality. Philippe MayauxWinner of the 2006 Marcel Duchamp prize, Philippe Mayaux creates paintings or small sculptures with a loud palette of colours and vulgar subjects which, at first view, seem to have no interest. By working this way, more from the angle of art with an attitude rather than purely visual art, the artist puts the notion of taste into question. As part of the artistic dynasty which, from Duchamp to Pop Art, has continually rejected the retinal model outside modernity, the work of Philippe Mayaux goes even further and, as a parody of parody, ironically criticizes our society obsessed with consumerism and show, by calling on various references and innuendo. [M. A.] Philippe Mayaux was born in 1961 in Roubaix.
 Philippe Mayaux |
