ARTICLE FROM THE MAGZ
(quartely paper magazine for art lovers published in english, french and chinese)
Published on April 2016
AFTER TAKING COVENT GARDEN WITH HIS 100 000 BALLOONS INSTALLATION, CHARLES PÉTILLON GOES WORLDWIDE
Born (1973) and raised in France, Pétillon’s passion for photography started at the early age of 11 when he was given his first camera. His photography is characterized by its simplicity and attention to detail. There is nothing to explain or interpret, just the mystique and poetry his vision entails. Pétillon leaves nothing to chance. He has a perfect command of light, subject and possibilities. His vision is extremely contemporary, his still lives are very organic and he possesses a veritable plastic intention that characterizes his work. Pétillon creates his sets himself, frequently combining his all-round creative vision with his passion for materials, especially for origami. He began his editorial career collaborating with Numero, Vogue Russia and Muse Magazine.
In his latest serie Invasions, balloon invasions are metaphors. They aim at changing the point of view towards what we do not pay attention to anymore. It is our view that he tries to sharpen and to move from a practical perception to visual emotion. Pétillon sets up images and follows a specific protocol ruled by the analysis and the consideration of the place photographed. He goes on a real immersion in the environment to create installations made of balloons linked together in a real structured way. He evokes child memory, he also talks about disappearance of nostalgia, about his fear of things which were important yesterday and which are slowly disappear today. His structures, as light as invasive, fill empty or abandoned places offering a new vision of the site. The profound memories of childhood, games and naivety are conjured up in Souvenirs de famille (Family memories). Beneath the features of the family sanctuary, we reflect on the role of memory as a symptom of transmission, with which the burden of tradition and emotional ties form by their symbolic force, a challenge on collective memory.
The photos are the testimony of Pétillon’s ephemeral installations. He makes us live a visual experience and at the same time reflect about the world. These are works embody the relationship between time and space. At the end photography surpasses the white and luminous installation which seems more like pretext in order to sublime a space. Playgrounds are the focus in Playstation, which alludes to the development of public play areas. From slides to football fields Pétillon questions those places that now are disappearing to the benefit of virtual video games.
On another had, CO2, for instance, expresses one of the illusions of our times. We seek to acquire more and more in order to be content with our image ? The car is an object of desire that only reflects our need to have power over others and ourselves. Yet it is difficult to do without it as its use had become essential. This image is a metaphor for the excess of the individual in the collective daily life, mirroring the scars it has left on the world.
Pétillon gives a set of clues stimulating the poetic singularity of the objects to define one of the possible ways of reflection about our world. In his work we discover a set of forms and signs composing the first pages of a travel diary.
