Back to Back – Julien Comte-Gaz

Back to Back

Julien Comte-Gaz, born in 1987 in Adelaide (Australia), is a French visual artist living and working in Paris. Graduated in interior architecture (2009) and in design and Fine Art from the Sorbonne University (2011 – 2013).

The Artist reinterprets the image mainly through manual collage, he finds his raw material at auctions, second-hand shops and online. These nude or seductive photographs are mostly from the first half of the 20th century. Julien Comte-Gaz’s approach is related to the notion of “proxemics” theorized by the American anthropologist Edward T. Hall  (the study of the physical distance established by the interaction between two people). The proximity to the work is inevitable for the spectator: it is the interaction mechanism that allows the meticulous work of Julien Comte-Gaz to be appreciated. By cutting out the pixel on the digital print, the artist updates the nude and charming photographs while creating a bridge with digital censorship. The artist replaces, gives a new existence, but never takes anything away.

The photo is the basis of his work. He uses it as an image storyteller who reinvents history. These images become his field of action on which he manipulates the scalpel like a brush : he cuts and recuts certain parts that are too carnal to create a pixelated composition where behind a false modesty hides a voyeuristic look. Then he repositioned and glued his previously lacerated segments with infinite skill, recreating the illusion of an undecoded film.

This blurring allows the viewer to conceal his or her gaze and allows him or her to observe openly what he or she would not otherwise do publicly. Through this creative process, the original work thus reconstituted is transformed into a work of art. Julien Comte-Gaz represents his generation par excellence: nostalgic, but also and above all creative and innovative.

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