{"id":215,"date":"2017-09-01T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T08:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/?p=215"},"modified":"2026-06-20T08:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T08:08:54","slug":"levalet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/levalet\/","title":{"rendered":"LEVALET"},"content":{"rendered":"

LEVALET \u2013 THE WORLD IS A THEATER, THE STREET IS THE STAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 2017 \u2013 1702 words<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FROM VIDEO TO MOVEMENT DECOMPOSITION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You were very interested in video at the beginning of your career: how did that influence the rest of your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fine arts student, I was interested in all types of supports and media, from painting and drawing to photography. It was during my master's degree that I turned to video, because it seemed to me that through installation and projection it was possible to superimpose two levels of reality. I was also very interested in cinema and felt that to produce a quality artistic creation, it was necessary to invent a new visual technique. I've since revisited this idea, realizing it wasn't anything new, but I believe video remains fantastic because it allows us to create the illusion of life through a simple projection of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your works highlight a decomposition of movement, in the manner of Eadweard Muybridge's chronophotographs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are things I know because they influenced me during my studies. However, what interests me most is the aesthetic aspect and the impact created by the perception of movement conveyed by a still image. In my practice, I try to offer a narrative with such images, which are as close to comics as they are to video. During a lecture series I attended at the Louvre, I realized that the narrative system used in Egyptian painting was very similar to the one I employ. It involves depicting a character's actions through different poses, being as explicit as possible so that the viewer understands at a glance what they are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE STREET AS A WORKSPACE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How important is the street in your approach?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The street has always been a potential creative space for me: as a student, I worked on projects there, and as a kid, I did graffiti. When I arrived in Paris, I no longer had an exhibition space, and that's how I started pasting my drawings in the street. The street offers an infinite repertoire of possible settings, and I use that word in its broadest sense: the city street doesn't seem any more interesting to me than the rural one. I can find just as much richness in a village deep in the Creuse region as in the middle of Tokyo. Furthermore, putting art in the street creates a contrast and a greater sense of surprise than in a gallery or museum. This is, of course, true for any inappropriate location: if I were to put up collages in a funeral home, it would be just as surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For you, <\/strong>\u00ab"The element of surprise is necessary to spark questioning."\u00bb<\/em><\/strong> How will the work surprise the viewer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since this feeling of surprise interests me, I will first try to grab the viewer's attention. This can be done either through an illusionistic approach or through humor, to allow them, in a second stage, to become interested in the subtext of the work, and what it offers that is deeper or more intellectual, even sometimes despite myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your works are very contextual: their placement in the street is crucial to their meaning. In your creative process, does the location determine the artwork?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost all the time, I start with the site itself when creating the artwork. Sometimes I have an idea that could be realized in a neutral location, but most of my interventions are conceived specifically in relation to the site. I first consider its formal aspects, which are immediately apparent, whether it be its geometric shape, its semantic dimension, or identifiable inscriptions. I then reflect on its history, on what isn't necessarily visible, in order to also reveal things that are initially hidden.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you're taking the risk of seeing the place disappear?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has happened to me a few times, but generally I work within a fairly short timeframe. When I have an idea three months after scouting the location, I'll go back before making the drawing to check that it's still the same. When it's no longer available after the artwork is finished, I try, as much as possible, to adapt it and transpose it elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you use photography in your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a work of art is seen by thirty people on the street, it will be seen by three thousand on social media. Most often, therefore, it will be the photograph that creates the artwork. However, I don't consider myself to be doing artistic photography, but rather documentary photography. I position myself directly at the scene, trying to capture the most neutral image possible, whether in terms of framing or lighting, with the aim of documenting the work done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TECHNIQUE AND CHOICE OF GLUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your work is sometimes described as Hyperrealism, even though it seems rather illusionistic. What effect do you create in the viewer with these life-size figures?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have never sought to create hyperrealism, and I would be incapable of it. This term primarily refers to an American painting movement in which the distinction between photography and painting is blurred. On the contrary, I like my images to be realistic insofar as the proportions are accurate and consistent, but without resorting to caricature or stylization. I try to maintain a form of neutrality, even though, by working with India ink and a brush, I allow the viewer to see the image's texture if they look closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you choose collage?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opinion, collage is less restrictive than stenciling. I don't need to cut anything, and the main difference between my work and that of a stencil artist is that I never reproduce the same image twice. Stencils would be pointless in my approach, whereas by definition they are a matrix for producing multiples. Personally, I hate repeating myself and I prefer to start a new drawing for a new location. The practical aspect is also important: when I started, I was a little less comfortable with working in the street, and collage allows me to act very quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also an ultra-ephemeral medium, unlike stencils.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I quickly accepted this ephemeral nature. Ethically, I think it's quite good that my images, which no one asked for and which I impose, are easily removable. It's almost a courtesy to the public. The ephemeral aspect also influences the perception of the work, because the effect created by the collage is noticeable and brings a certain artistic quality that other techniques don't necessarily possess. The result I get with my brush on paper is nothing like what I would get directly on the wall. The nature of the drawing is completely different depending on the support used, and collage allows for this kind of effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In your interior design work, you use many objects as supports.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I work on a different medium, I often create a background in acrylic before working in India ink. This approach appeals to me because it allows me to construct small, movable, scenographic spaces. In the exhibition Undercover<\/em>, The choice of books as a medium allowed for the creation of very rich backgrounds, almost geometric abstractions. It also made it possible to link the image to the title, the author to the color, thus offering a layering of reading levels. Furthermore, by selecting a detail, it was possible to change its meaning and enable interesting abstract compositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE REPRESENTATION OF MAN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you construct your images of bodies in motion?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I've done improvisational theater, which is useful to me because I mostly draw from photos of myself. This practice has given me a certain ability to express emotions through simple body posture. My images are silent, and I make a point of not including text in my installations. I think that if I had to use it, it would mean the image wasn't good. Furthermore, I feel that adding text takes us out of the realm of Art and into that of visual communication. In my opinion, what an image has that text doesn't is its ambiguity. I'm careful not to fix it in a single meaning, to cultivate its polysemy, which is why I try as much as possible to convey the idea in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We perceive your characters as modern-day Buster Keatons or Charlie Chaplins, burlesque figures caught in the infernal gears of society.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it's much easier to arrive at a somewhat tragic realization through burlesque than through tragedy itself. By adopting a dramatic register, one very quickly falls into pathos. But if I use humor in everything I stage, it's also out of modesty; I need that filter to be able to speak. My characters sometimes end up dying, but it's a poorly acted death, like in silent films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a social dimension to your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don't think it's about social considerations. I'm necessarily talking about things that affect or challenge me on a daily basis, but these can be metaphysical reflections as well as social questions. I don't consider myself a politically engaged artist, even though the moment you place something in the public space it becomes political.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your works are also distinguished by the regular presence of incongruous objects that stand out in their visual approach.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These objects reinforce the illusionistic dimension of my work, blending two levels of reality: real elements and represented elements. I try to ensure that the two coexist harmoniously so that the viewer questions the status of each. In terms of semantic impact, I don't think there's much difference between including a real saw and drawing one. However, the visual impact is all the stronger and raises questions about the image's status.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LEVALET – LE MONDE EST UN TH\u00c9\u00c2TRE, LA RUE EN EST LA SC\u00c8NE septembre 2017 – 1702 mots DE LA VID\u00c9O A LA D\u00c9COMPOSITION DU MOUVEMENT Tu t\u2019es beaucoup int\u00e9ress\u00e9 \u00e0 la vid\u00e9o au d\u00e9but de ton parcours : comment cela a-t-il pu jouer sur la suite de ton travail ? En tant qu\u2019\u00e9tudiant en […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions\/216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qgdesartistes.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}