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Saint-Etienne YÉANZI Avatars - 2017
Melted plastic and wax o…
See original version (French)
47
-
Saint-Etienne YÉANZI Avatars - 2017
Melted plastic and wax o…
See original version (French)
Estimate €8,000 - €12,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Saint-Etienne YÉANZI
Avatars - 2017
Melted plastic and wax on newspaper, mounted on cardboard
215 x 192 cm
Melted plactic and wax on newspaper, mounted on cardboard
84.64 x 79.59 in.
Provenance: Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, Paris
Acquired from the latter by the current owner
FR
Saint-Etienne Yéanzi is an Ivorian artist born in 1998. He is a graduate of the Lycée d'Enseignement Artistique de Cocody and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts d'Abidjan. His work was presented at the 59th Venice Biennale and the 14th Dakar Biennale.
In 2013, the artist began his emblematic 'Persona' series: using the materials at his disposal, Yéanzi reinvents pointillism. On large sheets of newspaper applied to cardboard, he melts drop by drop the black plastic packaging and market bags that invade the streets of Abidjan.
This almost ritualistic gesture questions our relationship with consumption and pollution. In the fumes of burnt plastic, a miracle happens, silhouettes and faces appear. Ghosts take shape.
Avatars, produced in 2017, is a masterpiece in this series.
In a museum format measuring two metres by two metres, the viewer has to step back before his or her gaze is able to extract itself from the magma of burnt plastic and grasp the power of all nine portraits in all their force. Blurred, shifting, almost elusive, they confront us with the profound question at the heart of the artist's work: what are the contours of our identity?
EN
Saint-Etienne Yéanzi is an Ivorian artist born in 1998. He graduated from the Cocody Art College and the Beaux-Arts School of Abidjan. His work has been shown at the 59th Venice Biennale and the 14th Dakar Biennale.
In 2013, the artist began his iconic series 'Persona': using the materials at his disposal, Yéanzi reinvents pointillism. On large sheets of newspaper applied on cardboard, he melts drop by drop the black plastic from packaging and market bags that litter the streets of Abidjan.
This almost ritualistic gesture questions our relationship with consumption and pollution. In the fumes of burning plastic, a miracle occurs: silhouettes and faces appear. Ghosts take shape.
Avatars, created in 2017, is a masterful work in this series.
In a museum format measuring two metres by two, the viewer must take a step back before their gaze can escape the magma of burnt plastic and grasp the power of all nine portraits in their full force. Blurred, shifting, almost elusive, they confront us with the profound question at the heart of the artist's work: what are the contours of our identity?
Saint-Etienne YÉANZI
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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