Poussière & Paillette

Nicolas Rabant

15 Oct 2021 — 15 Jan 2022

As a painter, sculptor, exhibition organiser and fisherman, Nicolas Rabant has developed his unusual artistic practice over several years. He was born in 1988 and moved to Brest to attend the Ecole des Beaux-Arts but also so that he could live close to the ocean. He created a unique collective project, ‘Fishing with John’, whose name is taken from a television programme in which film stars try their hand at fishing. Nicolas Rabant undertakes a similar process by inviting artists to accompany him, fishing rod in hand, on a foraging excursion, or else to help him create meals and dishes. The results are seen in times spent together that are both convivial and unique, in exhibitions, and in the production of joint works and concerts. This approach is symptomatic of Rabant’s participatory approach; he designs art in a spirit of constant collaboration and is passionate about the area all around him.

For his exhibition at Passerelle, he has used the names of his former cats: Poussière (Dust) and Paillette (Speck). The genesis of this title goes far beyond a cutesy reference, as it reveals his attraction to the world of animals and acts as a sort of homage somewhere between reverence and taking figurative ownership. His fascination for fauna is seen in many of his works including his sculptures. Without any morbid intent, but rather from a desire to preserve an ephemeral beauty, Nicolas Rabant freezes creatures destined to be eaten such as fish he has caught or wild animals he has found – already dead – in the countryside, with the aim of giving them new life in his work. Harvest time therefore holds a prime place in the work, whether as a meditation or physical exercise, or as a bountiful collective... [lire plus]