Cuts Across the Land
An unstable tangle of wavy lines drawn in ink with two peacock feathers superimposed on them, Cuts Across the Land (2008) takes on an unknown form, mysterious and abstract. Open to uncertainty and the strange, Wilfrid Almendra disturbs reality, unbalances it, plays on the absence of points of reference and of logic, on the impossibility of grasping the creative process. Paradoxically harmonious and dreamlike, the drawing offers new avenues for the imagination, like the infinite cuts across the land evoked by the title. The work reveals itself through the prism of careful observation: it is a 360-degree self-portrait, where each line reproduces the outline of the artist’s profile at every degree of rotation. Both a metamorphosis of reality and a metaphor for creation, this subjective and intimate work is above all a humorous nod to the versatile figure of the artist. Almendra ultimately presents the image of an inaccessible mental landscape and paths to constructing a personal imaginary.
Text written by Oriane Poret as part of the partnership between the École du Louvre and Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin.
Exhibitions
La Galerie des Galeries, Paris (France)
from 09 Oct to 06 Dec 2008
Galerie Bugada & Cargnel, Paris (France)
from 28 Feb to 19 Apr 2008
Wilfrid Almendra
Born in 1972 in Cholet, France
Le travail de l’artiste franco-portugais Wilfrid Almendra fait autant appel à des ressources composites qu’à diverses références issues de l’histoire de l’art et de la pop culture. Sculpteur, artisan, dessinateur, il privilégie délibérément les associations inattendues et les hybridations perturbantes pour désorienter le spectateur et l’inviter à repenser sa relation au monde. Procédant par détournements et titres énigmatiques, Wilfrid Almendra s’inspire très souvent du quotidien pour remettre en question l’être humain et sa perception.
Né en 1972 à Cholet (France), Wilfrid Almendra vit et travaille entre Marseille et Casario (Portugal). Formé à l’École des Beaux-arts de Rennes, à l’Academy of Fine Arts de Manchester et à l’École des beaux-arts de Lisbonne, il a été lauréat d’un Audi Talent Award en 2008.
