THE ESCAPE OF SEQUANA, Logan Hicks’ monumental new fresco at Fluctuart

THE ARTISTIC PROJECT

When American artist Logan Hicks was commissioned to create the artwork for the Fluctuart terrace in the summer of 2023, he was immediately inspired by the Seine and its goddess Sequana, according to Gallic Celtic mythology. While researching its history, he came across a text that inspired the idea for this artistic project: “In France, children joyfully run to the Rhine at this time of year to launch miniature boats carrying small candles. Each boat represents a joyful journey through life. Anyone who subsequently finds one of these little boats on the water can make a wish by bringing it back to shore. Make a wish to Sequana when you launch your boat. This gesture invokes Sequana’s happiness, energy and motivation to achieve a personal goal. Push the boat towards a friend or partner on the other side of the shore so that they too can make a wish!

A “neo-impressionist” style

This New Yorker, who loves France and its art history, has been coming here regularly for over a decade. “In 2016, I visited Giverny for the first time. Discovering Monet’s garden was a revelation for me, and has influenced me in so many ways. Being able to stand on the Master’s land, seeing his lush gardens bathed in the light so typical of his work, linked me directly to the Impressionist movement of the past”.

LOGAN HICKS

Logan Hicks lives and works in New York. In the early 90s, he studied at the Maryland Institute of Contemporary Art and became a screen printer, before turning to stencilling on the advice of Shepard Fairey, with whom he had befriended.

Nicknamed “the painter with a photographer’s eye”, Logan Hicks focuses his work on the urban landscape, giving us an almost impressionistic perception. Fascinated by architecture, Logan Hicks seeks to sublimate ordinary shots into more contemplative landscapes. In recent years, the artist has developed a metaphorical and dreamlike language exploring his perceptions of life and death, struggle and submission.

A meticulous artist, Logan Hicks transforms his own photographs in his studio by breaking down the different levels of light, which he handles with the virtuosity of an ancient master. He has developed his ‘neo-impressionist’ style through his precise stencilling technique, sometimes going so far as to superimpose 15 layers to achieve the precision he desires. Dark, vibrant and enigmatic, his works are the fruit of his intelligent use of colour and meticulous control of the spray can.

He takes on commissions all over the world, creating ephemeral and permanent walls in places like Miami, Baltimore, New York, Istanbul, Amsterdam and Paris. In July 2021, after 9 months of hard work, Logan Hicks completed the largest mural he has ever created. Located in NewYork, Tunnel Vision spans 5,800 m2, immersing its viewers in lush greenery that climbs up walls over 9 m high. Inspired by his photos of Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny, this work is the world’s largest stencil mural, his masterpiece.