Artist Statement

Growing up on the fringes of our system, I was forever confronted with this society that segments, fragments, divides and ranks groups of individuals but, above all, with the multifarious aspects and ‘twilight’ zones specific to our human species. Infused by a somewhat chaotic past that propelled me to the extreme limits of human complexity, I eventually decided to take a stance, to act, in a world that I contemplated as a vast stage just waiting to be occupied, to be reclaimed.

Very quickly, my artistic and then my curatorial proposals focused on studying the various strata of reality, exploring our relationship with the world, with others and with ourselves. Then, humankind established itself as the main subject of my research and curiosity. A subject that intrigues me, that I analyse and dissect through a myriad of processes. A subject where I strive to perpetuate stimuli, pressures, nuances, where its complexity becomes a heavenly canopy in my own laboratory.

My artistic approach is undeniably cross-cutting. It follows in the footsteps of the initial graphic expressions of my youth and of my street art projects. Video performance, sculpture, installation, scenescape, photography and writing… a wealth of mediums that simultaneously play the roles of props and instruments allowing me to explore and develop my own artistic research – research that draws its inspiration from humanities, psychiatry, anthropology, fetishism as well as alternative cultures.

Concurrently, other forms of interaction, intensely, intrinsically related to my approach, enter into play: such as my series of Conversations, exchanges made with artists, scientists, thinkers and individuals from all walks of life who, through their visions, their outlook on the world of today, help develop our world of tomorrow (e.g.: Edgar Morin, Hans Ulrich Obrist, etc.).

My curatorial projects also fall in line with this ongoing research on flows that blend together in a highly-complex, perpetually-moving world, with particular focus on new trends and young emerging artists.

Each of my proposals embodies, as such, the desire for dialogue, communication that strikes a chord with my theoretical research, my analyses and the works I present. In conclusion, it is the means for conveying an understanding of Art, a belief in Art, as a medium that invokes a universal memory and a common language that transcend the segmentation, the fragmentation of origins, of cultures and of periods of time.

Quite simply, considering Art as an appreciable, perceptive intermediary that makes our lives, our world, a better place.

Stephane Roy