How are you experiencing the lockdown?
In concrete terms, the lockdown made me realize how much I was already living in a somewhat confined way. I always spend my days in the studio and usually by myself. At the same time, I’m also always busy with my associative work. Even though the virus has only affected very few people in my immediate surroundings, I’m preparing myself.
What is your state of mind?
At first, I felt immense despair. The projects I had were gone. Then, seeing with admiration how the medical corps had to react, organize, innovate to save the sick, I understood why artists are usually considered egocentric, even selfish.
Finally, between the disgust of seeing that what we are experiencing globally has highlighted the worst in certain politicians and my wonder at seeing how others could strive for lives and their people, I told myself that I had to continue doing what I knew how to do to participate in the awakening of critical thinking and the building of consciences. For such is perhaps one of the multiple powers of art.
Does this lockdown experience have an impact on your artistic approach?
Perhaps I had a head start on the reality of the facts: in 2019, I started a series of drawings directly stemming from a suffocating sense of insecurity caused by the vagaries of weather conditions. I drew a series entitled Once upon a time!, of which here is an example:
Let’s go now!!! No? 50X70 cm
Then followed a series of researches on characters who, well masked, continued to live…
NOWAY 30X40 cm
In January 2020, I worked with Ade Adesina:
AT DAWN 101X147 cm
BIG BANG 50X70 cm
Are you practicing during the lockdown? If so, can you tell us about your new works?
My practice generally being self-portrait oriented, I wanted here to express my disgust regarding certain political decisions and how some leaders have imposed on their followers to believe that only God can spare them.
This linocut was made as part of a project with a Montreal artist: Adeline Rognon.
#idontcareanymore 70X50 cm