“Plastiglomerate” is the identify for an unnatural stone that appeared within the south of the island of Hawaii, made up of volcanic rock, sand, shell particles and plastic. Some scientists have recognized this rock as a marker of the Anthropocene, a brand new geological epoch characterised by the irreversible impression of human exercise on the planet.
The proof of this period will be discovered throughout us, from deforested areas to unlawful dumps and quarries. These sombre websites present Romain Langlois with the inspiration for his sculptures: an deserted beam on a demolition web site, a tree trunk present in a wasteland, a bit of stone used to dam off a highway… a plethora of “objects” torn from nature and discarded after use.
The artist appropriates this “cultural sediment”, transforms it, and presents it to us in a museum or exhibition area, as if to say: “And now, what do you see?”
Like a real alchemist, he has transmuted the unusual into one thing extraordinary. The rock that sits earlier than you shouldn’t be stone: it’s bronze. That tree trunk shouldn’t be wooden however calcite, created by crystallising calcium carbonate, a course of that has been mastered by only a handful of artisans. The resemblance is putting, however the artist doesn’t prohibit himself to this trompe l’oeil impact.
His rocks are damaged aside to disclose their contents — a radiant liquid resembling magma— whereas the rafter appears to be lifting itself right into a vertical place, with folds forming on its floor very like human pores and skin. The inert supplies appear to come back alive earlier than your eyes, exposing their latent life power.
In keeping with the artist, “every little thing is alive, every little thing is in movement, every little thing is in a means of transformation. There’s life under the floor, simply ready to be unleashed. By my sculptures, I’m able to faucet into this innate power and reveal it to the world.” Romain Langlois has drawn on this instinct of an ubiquitous life all through his profession as a sculptor.
The 43-year-old French artist is totally self-taught, pushed by ardour, a thirst for data, and a want to make his personal means and turn into one of many nice names on this artwork. For 12 years, surrounded by anatomy references, he sculpted human faces and our bodies, striving to grasp every approach in keeping with his personal excessive requirements. From white bronze to bismuth, crystal, silver and stone, the artist has tried his hand at a complete vary of supplies, gaining an intimate data of each medium. “Working with a fabric is the one approach to really perceive it,” he explains, “the contact of your fingers creates a singular bond.”
On the planet of latest artwork, the place ideas take priority over execution and the place know-how and craftsmanship are sometimes thought-about secondary, Romain Langlois selected to place supplies on the very coronary heart of his inventive strategy. Though he has moved away from depictions of individuals, his work continues to discover the human situation from an environmental angle, scrutinising humanity’s profound impression on our environment.
His sculptures seize a anonymous reality about life itself: one thing that binds us to the wooden and the rocks, and raises questions concerning the place we occupy on this pure order.
Born in Saint-Etienne (France) in 1977, Romain Langlois turned to sculpture after finishing his design research and spending a number of years working in an structure agency. His works have been exhibited on the Museum of Trendy and Up to date Artwork in Saint-Etienne and on the MAD in Paris. They’re additionally present in a number of prestigious non-public collections.
Romain Langlois is represented by Paris–based mostly Artistics up to date artwork gallery.
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