TICK TACK is excited to host its first show of 2023 and presents the emerging Paris based artist – Alexandre Bavard. In 2019, Bavard had a solo presentation on CINEMA TICK TACK. BRAV marks the artist's full-on solo presentation in Belgium.
The title of the exhibition BRAV ****is a reference to the bravery that was key during medieval fighting tournaments. Furthermore it refers to BRAV-M, a special police brigade on motorcycles in Paris, especially created to operate during violent demonstrations in early 2019 during the Yellow Jackets protests.
As a starting point for the show, Bavard used media footage from the recent protests in France where a random guy dressed as a medieval knight was kicking a riot cop with his armour and sword. For Bavard, this felt as an aesthetically very powerful reflection of a moment in history. He started to explore the character of the knight, fulfilling his relentless need to speak about the relationship between citizens and state.
BRAV features a new series of paintings, sculptures, in-situ installations and a performance inspired by the artist's unique understanding of the common aesthetics that medieval warriors and modern “knights” bring through the ages. Linked together, the parts of the exhibition form a truly theatrical experience for the audience, offering a journey from the past to the future with the exhibition right in the centre of storytelling.
For the paintings Bavard uses his own archive of photos taken during the street protests: reworked graffiti and tags show the seemingly ephemeral practice, revealing an infinite dialogue between artists writing over each other’s works. This background gives us a deeper understanding not only of the work and its urban inspirations, but also of the artist. Graffiti and tags, as an act of vandalism, were always present in Bavard's artistic DNA: a constant play with the city, the architecture and the streets – closely linked to adventure, risk, adrenaline and of course, as a consequence – police and justice.
Bavard’s sculptures feel like present day artifacts of heroic fantasy – a vibrant clash between the medieval mythology of King Arthur's knights and a very punk and trashy aesthetic of old classic sci-fi movies such as Robocop and Terminator that formed the core inspiration for the show.
Additionally, during the opening night the performance An Eye for an Eye will take place. In the form of a theatrical play, the performance puts together all chapters of the exhibition and narrates a story about protestors as present-day knights. Authentic medieval chants will allow for a feminine energy to counterbalance the intense clash between two knights, past and present.
Details:
Opening Reception: 27th January, 7pm - 11pm
Exhibition Runs: 28th January – 24th March
Address: Tick Tack, Mechelsesteenweg 247,2018 Antwerpen
<aside> 📌 You can download press release and visual materials by link.
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Alexandre Bavard (1987, France) is based in Paris, France and is a Alumni of École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Lyon. Alexandre Bavard can be seen as a playwright, and performer, all in one. His work expands from fine art sculpture, prints, and paintings into video, music and dance. Bavard creates various worlds influenced by his Georgian roots, science fiction, and for the need of escapism and discovery.
Short Documentary on Alexandre Bavard
Short Documentary on Alexandre Bavard
Bulky - From Tag to Dance | Alexandre Bavard | TEDxBari
Bulky - From Tag to Dance | Alexandre Bavard | TEDxBari
Bavard is interested in creating a visual language, a form of expression that transcends any specific medium, and is fueled by repetition, movement, and flow. His broad range of works are tied by the theme of a post-urban world, meaningful arti- facts of a past utopia that its significance has long been lost and repurposed as rarity and artifact. Bavard has titled this series, Neo-Archelogia, which refers to his process of casting the shape or transferring the impression of these found artifacts into sculptures and prints.
