Description
«Urban Duality» a work created in May 2022. This drawing on a bank receipt from the year 2000, sent by the Banque Populaire, in A4 format, uses a range of media including printing, pencil, felt, neon felt, Ballpoint pen, paper scotch, and walnut beer. The complex and stratified composition of the work offers an intense reflection on the identity and artistic process.
Foreground:
The work presents a three-quarter figure, facing to the left. A striking aspect of this piece is the separation of the head from the body, the head floating above the body with an empty space in between. This head is rendered in a photorealistic style while the body adopts a cartoon style, accentuating a dichotomy between reality and abstraction.
The arm of the character extends to the right, holding a spray paint from which sprays a graphic representation made with a green neon marker, identifiable as a Stabilo Boss, an iconic and recognizable tool. This use of the fluorescent green colour introduces a vivacity and visual energy that contrasts with the darker tones of the walnut broom.
Background:
The fund of the work is an official document “documentary evidence to be produced to tax services” of the year 2000. The artist’s identity, including his name, first name and address at the time in Chalon-sur-Saône, is visible and superimposed to the drawing of the face, adding an autobiographical and personal layer to the work. An isolated letter, “x”, appears just under the character’s right eye, introducing an element of mystery and questioning.
The corners at the bottom left and top right of the document were torn up and then re-glued with paper tape, creating an additional texture and impression of fragmentation and repair. These tear marks add to the raw and authentic nature of the work.
Second plan :
Des gribouillis en style “flop” ou “bubble style” au nom de l’artiste “heta. Ces écritures, typiques de la culture graffiti, sont réalisées en bleu, contrastant avec les éléments de l’avant-plan. Au centre, les mots “street art” et “graffiti” se chevauchent, écrits en vert fluo, le même vert que la peinture jaillissant de la bombe. Cette superposition symbolise la tension et la coexistence entre différentes formes d’art urbain, suggérant un dialogue ou une lutte entre elles.
Conclusion :
En utilisant un document personnel comme support, l’artiste fusionne les éléments de la vie quotidienne avec des techniques de graffiti et de dessin, créant une œuvre à la fois intime et universelle. Cette superposition symbolise la tension et la coexistence entre différentes formes d’art urbain, suggérant un dialogue ou une lutte entre elles. Les contrastes entre le photoréalisme et le style bande dessinée, ainsi que l’utilisation de couleurs vives contre des tons sombres, invite le spectateur a se demander pourquoi se superpose les mots “street art” et “graffiti”.
