Aurèle Ricard
We are at war sister
1991
Painting and posters pasted on canvas
132 × 98 cm
Unique
Location: Paris, France
Documents
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Invoice or proof of purchase
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Certificate of authenticity
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Other documents
About the artwork
Aurèle Ricard's work is built on a dynamic of superimposed posters, texts and colors, in a game of concealment/revelation that echoes a tense political reality. The lacerated poster for the album We are at war by Sister Souljah, an American rapper and activist, occupies most of the work. Two religious icons, to which the artist has added the word "Friendly", are stuck, along with the artist's trademark LostDog. Beneath this poster are other posters with the International Aurèle Yellow (IAY), which the artist created and registered in 1985 as a tribute to Yves Klein. Yellow is the color chosen by the artist to represent urgency, where the LostDog figure represents a humanity in perdition. By reusing them in this work, the artist appropriates the words of the selected posters to serve his call for urgency.
Expert opinion
This work was exhibited at the Musée des Beaux-Arts Denys Puech in Rodez in 1994 as part of the exhibition Aurèle by Aurèle: devoir d'ingérence ou délit d'initié. Deeply rooted in current affairs, We are at war Sister assembles and presents real witnesses of its time, in an approach reminiscent of 1960s poster artists such as Raymond Hains and Jacques Villeglé.
About the artist
Born in Paris in 1963, Aurèle Ricard, or Aurèle LostDog, is a self-taught artist who lives and works between Paris, New York and Shanghai.
His work, defined as post-industrial, is engaged and often rooted in societal issues to which the artist bears witness. In 1986, the artist met Pop Art leader Andy Warhol, with whom he planned to collaborate on an astonishing symbol: the LostDog. Derived from a poster seen on the street, the LostDog became the allegorical figure of a battered, violent and lost humanity. Despite Andy Warhol's death in 1987, the LostDog is still Aurèle Ricard's trademark, although his work is just as rich in experimentation.
The artist has enjoyed international success, winning the 2009 Sculptor of the Year award in Shanghai before being awarded the Arts et Lettres in 2016. He has taken part in numerous exhibitions between Europe and Asia, notably at the Pietra Santa and Hong Kong Sculpture Biennials in 2013 or, more recently, in 2016 at the Taglialatella gallery.
“There was everything that makes up our lives on that poster: money, a quest (material or spiritual), emotion, will, choice, desire and above all: loss.”
Additional info
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