Éléphant


Éléphant (2013) by Vincent Cunillère

About the artwork

The photo is a reminder and makes us think about the time passing. The original printed photo has been left outside for a while, so that the rain, the wind and the sun could leave their mark. Once the proper impression was obtained, the photographer fixed it as a pastel.

The displayed image is related to our fears and phobias. This work can make us aware of the passage of time and makes us think again about disappearance, blurring, forgetfulness. The elephant is part of a series in which the future of animal species is central.
The choice for the image of the elephant and the place is not accidental. New Zebra is located across the Dierentuinlaan, between Olifantstraat and Zebrastraat, avenue and streets with animal names reminding us of the Zoo in the near Muinkpark which attracted many visitors in the late 19th century, but has ingloriously disappeared since.

About the artist

image °1964, Sète, France

Vincent Cunillère is primarily known as a photographer of famous French artists. He made his debut in 1992 with a series of portraits of the artists César, Claude Viallat, Zao Wou-Ki, Arman and Soulages in the French magazine Paris-Match. Cunillère: "I often visited contemporary art exhibitions but I never saw a picture of the artist. But when I went to an exhibition by photographer Lucien Clergue on Picasso, where I saw only portraits but no artwork by Picasso. From there, the idea grew to unite photo and painting.?
His method consists of making photographic portraits of the artist in his studio, who then in turn paints the picture. He was able to engage already forty artists. He has been following the painter Pierre Soulages (b. 1919) since 1992, of whom he has made several pictures and followed several major events such as, in 2007: Musée Fabre; in 2009: MNAM; in 2005 and 2014: the Musée Soulages project. In 2013 he exhibited "L'atelier de Pierre Soulages" at the Chapelle du Château Royal de Collioure, and "Duos d?ateliers" at the Musée Paul Valéry in Sète, France.
Besides pictures of artists, he also made several artistic photo series such as "Fleurs", "Bi-Arts", "Horizons", "Vagues". The elephant photo is part of the series "Désimpressions"