“It’s in the water, without geographical landmarks, before coasts and territories, that the Titans manifest themselves, monitor and control, in a gesture reminiscent of that used by the police. Like cerberus rising from the seabed, their presence and gestures presuppose the border crossing of territories. .” Lionel Bayol-Thémines
Lionel Bayol-Themines
Until October 16, 2010, the A. Galerie is presenting the graphic yet refined exhibition Keep Border by visual photographer Lionel Bayol-Thémines. For the past twenty years, Bayol-Thémines has been pursuing an artistic project centered on the human being, on man’s relationship with his history, his space, his evolution and the identity that stems from it. Photography is his main means of expression, as illustrated by the various series in the Titanes Land concept: Identity, Intimity, Titan’s eyes, Titan’s eyes, Titan’s memory, Press, Landscape invasion, Keep Border and Watchmen. In each series, the same constancy: wrestler masks and characters photographed in their everyday reality.
Lionel Bayol-Themines
Titanes Land is constructed as a game, a space for reflection on the possibilities of changing the rule of I. A wonderful opportunity to emancipate ourselves and reconsider the reality we live with every day. The choice of mask seems to have come naturally, as masks are present in many cultures, allowing us to differentiate ourselves but also to protect ourselves, to create another identity. The Intimity series, featuring both men and women, is a striking illustration of this. These women wearing wrestler masks in the most banal of everyday feminine activities (make-up, hairstyling, toiletries) are disturbing, but ultimately put female identity back into perspective. Despite the fact that these masks confine the women to their superhero identities, with their ultra-figured expressions, they are nonetheless women with their own lives and daily lives.
© Lionel Bayol-Themines
The Keep Border series explores the notions of space and borders through water, freeing us from all geographical references and constraints. Each Titan manifests itself in this immensity, from which we see only the horizon, the coastline and the land. They become the keepers of the border, the ones who make it possible or impossible to cross. He appears from the seabed, for some with a conquering fist, for others with a piercing, almost accusatory gaze, crossing the invisible border separating the water world from the land world. The water sometimes disappears, leaving only the image of a blue immensity of which our hero seems to be an integral part.
© Lionel Bayol-Themines
And yes, these “supermen” look like superheroes with their masks hiding their secret identity, and we don’t even know if they’re men or women. These colorful masks are all different, but there’s one constant: they exist, and sometimes we only see them. The cross is still very much present: from the Union Jack (flying the English flag) to a simple cross on a black background, the mask provides the contrast needed to reflect and take in the Titan. And in this respect, the Titan is in symbiosis with his mask, irrevocably part of him, and it’s thanks to him that we notice his presence.
© Lionel Bayol-Themines
These Titans fascinate and challenge. They seem to be part of their environment, in total harmony. Then perception changes, and we see only the Titan, excluding everything else. All that exists is him and his message, conveyed through his gestures like a signpost: I see you, I’ve conquered, stop, pass… And that’s when the mask explodes: you pay attention to the color, the pattern, the gestures take on their full importance. The message is conveyed in the most graphic way possible, like a reflection of our reality…
Photo credit: Lionel Bayol-Thémines with the courtesy of A-Galerie
A. Gallery
12 rue Leonce Reynaud 75116 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)6 20 85 85 85
www.a-galerie.fr
http://www.bayol-themines.com/
Marie-Odile Radom
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
