Talent Crush: Antoine Petel
My sentimental attachment to Paris and its tiny art boutiques led me to discovering Antoine’s work just a few years ago, when I randomly got a set of postcards at a local stationary shop, or papeterie. Later, I spotted his sculptures in Harper’s Bazaar editorial featuring Lou Doillon. Once you get familiar with his work, his passion for colors, and the variations of systems and shapes he creates in celebration of life, you’ll never mistake it for anything else. We talked about his philosophy, creative process, and the purpose of art.
KELLY KORZUN: You were born in Le Havre (Normandy), then your family moved to Paris when you were 3 years old. What was it like growing up in Paris in the 60s? In which ways do you think the city has changed since then?
ANTOINE PETEL: When we came to Paris, we settled into the apartment on the 5th floor of a new building. It was very noisy because of the traffic nearby. I was sharing my room with my older brother. We had a peaceful family life; we would walk to school and come back home for lunch. My mom didn't work and therefore had a lot of time to take care of us. There was also my friend Michel, a young boy just like me who lived two floors below us with his two sisters, we saw each other a lot and became very close. It was a cheerful time. I have a few very vivid memories from this period that triggered my interest in the body, life, and death. I remember myself falling through the ice on a frozen lake during winter, my sister getting her foot stuck in the elevator (there was no protection from the wall at the time), and my grandfather's death that I wasn’t allowed to see. Another important part of my childhood was watching TV every Wednesday at the housekeeper's apartment as we didn't have one at home. I also had drawing lessons with this amazing art teacher. She was very eccentric, and so was her house: lamp shades decorated with shells, doves roaming free in her living room, and other things that were very different from the environment I was growing in. She’s been one of the most influential people I’ve met and has definitely helped me to open new horizons. Many things have changed since the 60s, but the childhood remained the same: school, family time, sports, walks in the woods, vacations. The setting has changed, but not the rhythm. Nevertheless, other things have evolved. Back in the day, our car had to be started by turning a crank, the schools weren’t mixed yet, and mothers rarely worked. There were fewer cars, but noisier. The surroundings were not so modern and less dense, but certainly more dilapidated. Of course, there was no television or screens. Social networks, phones, our interactions with the outside world – all of that has drastically changed since then.
Cristaux Et Pollen series | Stainless steel, canvas, epoxy, acrylic, pigments (2019)
KK: Being a middle child, what impact do you think it had on you growing up? Did you feel that you were exposed to more independence compared to your siblings?
AP: Sure, being a middle child has its own advantages and disadvantages. The older takes the brunt of the educational and behavioral demands of parents. On the other hand, he gets much more attention. The middle child has more freedom and less pressure. The youngest has all the freedom in the world, as well as the ability to learn from older siblings. I loved the benefits of being in the middle, and watching my parents raising my older brother helped me to navigate my own behavior.
KK: Do you remember the exact moment when you discovered your love for art, or did it happen quite naturally?
AP: As a child, I used to go with my parents to the Louvre, and I remember being fascinated by the crackles on old paintings. The more I liked the painting, the more beautiful the pattern formed on the surface appeared to me. At that time, I thought painting was something magical. One of my first impressions certainly comes from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks filled with drawings and anatomical studies. I didn’t understand a thing, but the astonishing complexity of it made me feel like I was contemplating all the secrets of the world. His drawings manifested his desire to understand, to give meaning to the world, and I think that's what art should be used for. Seeking the truth is the most beautiful aspiration there is, and this is what every artist does in their own way.
Conjugaisons series | Oil on canvas (2014)
KK: After you got your Master’s degree at L’École Des Beaux-Arts in Paris, did you already know what artistic route you wanted to go?
AP: When I got my Fine Arts degree, my goal was to mature as an artist and continue developing a painting project. I’ve worked a lot and began exhibiting my paintings. Little by little, I started experimenting with space and playing with metal rods. I came to realize that it was more important to me to create in a physical space, close to my body, rather than in a mental space such as painting, which is ultimately a projection manifesting itself in a certain material. From that moment, I started to transpose my questions into real space, which led me to reflect on the problems of space, emptiness and fullness. It seemed to me that it was the right language to talk about matter and its movements. Paint and color found their way into a real space, and I was no longer using them as a window to another reality. Eventually, my production ended up halfway between painting and sculpture.
Éclats D'univers series | steel, canvas, epoxy, oil (2017)
KK: In 1992, you bought a studio in Montreuil, a thriving and artsy suburb to the east of Paris, and moved there. It’s predominantly known for its flea markets and street art, and many famous French artists were Montreuil’s residents at some point in their lives. What do you think makes Montreuil so attractive to the artists?
AP: Back then, there were a lot of small art studios and factories with zenithal light, which is perfect for a workshop. Rent was very affordable due to the fact that the buildings were old and the neighborhoods were socially modest. The city government was generous enough to welcome artists and often helped them to settle down. Another thing that makes Montreuil so attractive to the artists is its proximity to Paris.
Harper's Bazaar Ukraine | Photographer: Adrian Crispin | Stylist: Svetlana Marson | Model: Lou Doillon @Antoine Petel Studio (2020)
KK: What challenges do you typically face when working on urban installations such as Asymptote in Montreuil and Art de Ville/Art de Vivre in Louviers? How do you approach these types of projects?
AP: Working with monumental structures requires collaborating with external parties such as engineering company and industrial metal company in the case of Asymptote. The most difficult thing is adapting the drawing to the technicals needs and feasibility, which often results in many adjustments of the initial drawing. As an artist, you need to be able to find technical answers that don’t distort the drawing’s intention.
Songe Au Corps series | Graphite pencil, watercolor, pigments, acrylic binder (2018)
KK: A huge part of your body of work is based on the exploration of matter and its projection, allegory, and representation. You also like to experiment with various mixed-media techniques, mostly using graphite pencils in combination with watercolors, oils, or acrylics, and utilizing a unified color palette. What was the process of developing this technique?
AP: Everything starts with a drawing, which is the spirit in its most vivid form. A pencil and a sheet of paper is enough to get ideas flowing. Drawing is also a base of any research. For my drawing studies of future sculptures, I’m typically using a simple notebook and an ink pen; it allows me to search for solutions, to explore variations, to find new subjects. Once I’m at a studio, the sculpture often deviates from the drawing for various reasons because in space you’re answering a different set of questions. However, the drawing always serves as a staring point, it facilitates the physical creation, and ultimately remains fundamental. I also enjoy drawing for my own pleasure as a way of questioning life, nature, humanity. In this case, I’m using graphite pencils in combination with color pigments and acrylic binder to outline the narrative and create organic textures. All of it translates into drawings that speak about various life forms: animals, plants, humans, and their interactions, but in the end the drawing is always open to the viewer’s interpretation. This approach also helps me finding my own place in the world we live in. At its core, drawing and sculpture are very similar to the natural sciences such as biology and cosmology because they’re seeking the answers to the same fundamental questions. In fact, I’m still fascinated by the process of matter development and the evolution of life, and I really hope this astonishment of existence translates into my work.
Études Conjuguées series | Pen, ink (2014)
Vecteur De Sève series | Graphite pencil, ink, acrylic binder (2009)
KK: As questioning is an integral part of your nature as an artist, did you get any of your questions answered this past year? What were you focusing on in 2020?
AP: My new exhibition Sève Montante (Rising Sap) will be centered around plants and growing forms. I’ve been working on it for almost a year now, while also experimenting with epoxy paste in combination with metal rods. It allowed me to explore this whole new territory, new shapes and textures. It’s very exciting because it’s just the beginning. In general, I think it’s impossible to find the answers through art. Art isn’t about answering questions, but rather asking them. Art in itself is a question that human beings address to infinity.
