Provocative and rebellious, Clet Abraham's work, which you can find in Fluctuart's exhibitions , doesn't go unnoticed. His colorful and playful road signs are designed to rebel against the system. Artistik Rezo takes us on a journey to meet this committed artist.
Why did you choose the street to express yourself?
The street is a way to recapture an audience that is otherwise filtered by public or commercial institutions, governments, or galleries. It's therefore a way to free oneself from the constraints of these structures. Personally, I see street art as a protest art. Its wild side is fundamental to me and perhaps even its raison d'être. There is therefore an element of rebellion that allows us to express concepts that cannot be expressed otherwise.
Fundamentally, there is the desire to convey a message: more than the art itself, it is the message that interests me. The signs, moreover, are no accident: they are the visual symbol of authority. Working on the signs is to question the latter. That is my message: to rediscuss authority.
In 2010, at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, you took advantage of the empty space left after a Bronzino painting had been moved to hang your self-portrait. It remained there for 24 hours; no one had noticed it before.
Was it a way of making room for contemporary art in a city like Florence, a Renaissance city, perhaps a little closed to contemporary art?
Yes, absolutely. Today it has quickly opened up to street art, but before 2010 it was a frozen city that played on its past.
You've had legal problems: the Florence prosecutor's office fined you €10,000 for your sculpture L'Uomo comune , accusing it of being an abusive construction.
Yes, but I was acquitted in March. The whole charge was dropped, it was completely dismissed, so I won, actually.
In 2015, in Japan, your partner was arrested, guilty only of being present while you were creating a work. Do you think governments are afraid of art, precisely because of the power it exudes as a means of expression?
I always say that my work is a barometer of democracy. In democratic countries, my work is well received. It's true that there is a direct challenge to authority, so countries that have difficulty with this react badly. There are also countries where I would never work because it's too risky.
What exactly do you think is the difference between art and vandalism?
It's personal, but for me, art builds, while vandalism destroys. An artistic act may have a destructive component, but it has a constructive purpose. Vandalism stops at destruction. After that, of course, it's a case-by-case basis.
As a French artist living in Italy, which of these two countries do you find more open to street art?
There's not a big difference, but France is a bit ahead of the curve. Paris is a particularly open place, but so could Milan, where my work has always been very well received and welcomed. I say welcomed, not formalized: my works are so critical that they are very rarely formalized.
How do you generally choose which cities to work in?
It's a bit of everything. It can be a search for visibility, but also a pleasure, places that attract me, that intrigue me. The last two years, I've mainly traveled to the United States, to look for something new: the signs are different, as is the atmosphere. It's exciting, looking for the new, pushing your limits.
What is your daily life like during confinement?
Honestly, it's very painful, it's something I handle quite badly. I react by working, by drawing a lot, including things that are not necessarily related to street art, to try to get things off my chest, as they say. I'm not going to complain because I have everything I need, but internally it's very difficult, I won't be able to stand this situation for long.
What future projects can you tell us about?
I have a project in San Francisco, maybe at the end of the year or the beginning of next year, as soon as it's possible to travel again.
I have another equally interesting one, which I'm really enjoying, planned for Christmas, in Florence. I can't go into details: it's a lovely project, provocative but kind, not mean, in relation to the iconographic elements linked to Christmas.
Find Clet in the Veni, Vidi, Vinci exhibition And around Fluctuart with in situ works . More information about Clet Abraham on his website.
Interview by Violagemma Migliorini