Olivier Valsecchi French, b. 1979
Time of War 3, 2013
Series: Time of War
C-Type print
120 x 120 cm
47 1/4 x 47 1/4 in
47 1/4 x 47 1/4 in
Edition of 3
70 x 70 cm
27 1/2 x 27 1/2 in
27 1/2 x 27 1/2 in
Edition of 7
FRANÇAIS CI-DESSOUSIncarnation remains the main theme in Valsecchi's oeuvre. Thus he decided to dive into his DUST series once again, whilst adding a parameter to it: a soul of their...
FRANÇAIS CI-DESSOUSIncarnation remains the main theme in Valsecchi's oeuvre. Thus he
decided to dive into his DUST series once again, whilst adding a
parameter to it: a soul of their own. Deliberately choosing to set the
second part of his "I AM DUST" saga in a former arms factory, this
autobiographic project is on the theme of incarnation and Samsara.
Whereas the first part illustrated the photographer's cosmology, TIME OF
WAR liberates those chaos-spawned creatures. The title, inspired by the
Prado Museum's 2008 Exhibition : GOYA in Times of War, which
commemorated the War of Independance, equally portrays this crying-out
for emancipation. From then on, Characters have a history, and are out
to conquer. Their bodies tense, each mote of muscle tissue contracts
itself, shoulders heave. The primeaval ash, this very element which has
transiently crossed through the cycles of life and death, seems to burst
out in an explosion of effort, unless this be the final agonizing
breath of these Ovidian heroes. This is about survival.
decided to dive into his DUST series once again, whilst adding a
parameter to it: a soul of their own. Deliberately choosing to set the
second part of his "I AM DUST" saga in a former arms factory, this
autobiographic project is on the theme of incarnation and Samsara.
Whereas the first part illustrated the photographer's cosmology, TIME OF
WAR liberates those chaos-spawned creatures. The title, inspired by the
Prado Museum's 2008 Exhibition : GOYA in Times of War, which
commemorated the War of Independance, equally portrays this crying-out
for emancipation. From then on, Characters have a history, and are out
to conquer. Their bodies tense, each mote of muscle tissue contracts
itself, shoulders heave. The primeaval ash, this very element which has
transiently crossed through the cycles of life and death, seems to burst
out in an explosion of effort, unless this be the final agonizing
breath of these Ovidian heroes. This is about survival.
__________
FRANÇAIS
Le thème de l'incarnation reste prédominant dans l'oeuvre de Valsecchi.
C'est ainsi qu'en 2013, il décide de reprendre l'esthétique de DUST pour
y adjoindre un paramètre touchant à la psychologie des êtres.C'est
directement dans une ancienne usine militaire qu'il a choisi de camper
le second volet de sa saga I am Dust, projet autobiographique sur le
thème de l'incarnation et du samsara. Alors que le premier illustrait la
cosmogonie du photographe, Time of War affranchit ces êtres issus du
chaos. Le titre, inspiré de l'exposition Goya in Times of War (musée du
Prado, 2008) en commémoration de la Guerre d'Indépendance, sous-tend lui
aussi cette volonté d'émancipation. Les personnages possèdent désormais
une histoire, ils se font conquérants. Leurs corps se tendent, chaque
centimètre de muscle se contracte, les épaules fulminent. La cendre
primordiale, cet élément qui a traversé les cycles de la vie et de la
mort, semble jaillir dans une explosion d'effort, à moins que cela ne
soit l'ultime souffle de ces héros Ovidiens. "Il s'agit de survivre."