« To me, art equals responsibility. » That is probably why Alain Séchas creates works according to the human scale, immediately evoking the human body. But rather than using the human figure, he chose that of the cat: a round-eyed feline which never smiles. « Doing cats becomes like a trap, so that we identify a lot with it (...) and all the imagery of the cat reappears: the Egyptian cat, comics, caricature etc. »
Chosen as our anthropological equivalent, the cat plays various characters, often provocative, and becomes the intermediary between the artist and the viewer. More than a mere sculpture, he is a drawing with volume, a motif which endlessly changes: « I have always said that my work was about drawing; a small drawing is as important as a large sculpture and its making is as difficult for me. » Falsely naive, the work of Alain Séchas stands out and opens our eyes, like his cat: « Forcing the viewer to see is to me the very definition of art », he says. With no complacency whatsoever.
Alain Séchas was born in 1955 in Colombes, France.
He lives and works in Paris.
Grosse Bétise - Alain Séchas - 2003
Polyester, acrylique on canvas - sculpture 177x82x57 cm - canvas 205x170 cm
A cat, standing like a human being, is looking at us with round and dazed eyes and holds a gun. In the background, we notice a range of unwelcoming buildings, closed in with barbwire. A sentence is inscribed inside of one of the clouds, as if it were a speech bubble, and comments —with hope or disillusion? —: « Ready to do something very bad ». We are left speechless and worried in front of this situation in which Alain Séchas projects us directly and spontaneously. With this installation combining a painting and a sculpture, we are given all the burden of reality to carry on our backs. With Séchas, things are clear: at first sight, it is a straightforward joke; in the end, it leads to awareness and a sharp comment on society.
Coué 1 - Alain Séchas - 2006
Installation with sound (144/130/21,5cm)
"Everyday in every way, I'm getting better and better"
