The first monsters emerged, at the beginning of the week in Paris, from the tons of garbage accumulated since the start of the garbage collectors’ strike protesting against the pension reform. With his eye as an urban artist, Bisk saw in these chaotic heaps of our domestic waste monsters of all calibers and all kinds, crawling or standing on street corners. All that was missing from these colossi of filth was a few expressive features. The artist identifies the right angle, the materials to move, then launches. First, the eyes, graffitied in white, then the pupil, worked in black. Then come the teeth, made from white cardboard, even a mirror for a dazzling smile, a crate or a polystyrene plate, again enhanced with black spray paint.
In two to three minutes, pareidolia takes shape. An Amazon acronym becomes an ironic eyebrow, two symmetrical garbage cans, a mustache, a piece of cardboard taped in black, a scar. “It’s all there”comments the artist in the face of these ready-made dilapidated, which are reminiscent of the compositions-accumulations of the painter Arcimboldo, a trashy, dripping and fragrant version. He adds some scraps collected elsewhere: a small red toboggan, found in the suburbs, becomes a tongue, a series of mini poufs in Skaï make eyes wide open. Passers-by stop, amused, to take pictures.
“A Touch of Science Fiction”
Hop! we leave towards the Mouffetard district, in the 5e arrondissement of Paris, with its market-like street lined with garbage cans. On the way, a stop is essential in front of the place Jussieu to ” restore “ the features of a monster from the day before, a little sagging. A little further on, from a nice tidy heap in front of the Hôtel Familia, the artist makes ” a family “ : three monsters at once, with the same hypnotized looks.
“Personalizing these trash cans highlights what is happening, because you can see them even more. But I add a touch of science fiction to the city more than I do political commentary”, analyzes Bisk, who lets himself be guided by the chances of surfaces and materials, in his playful, generous and tireless way. Spontaneity and the urban environment are the fuel of this 31-year-old self-taught visual artist, who lives from his work, with an alternative way of life in artists’ squats.
He grew up and worked in the effervescence of the Rungis market (Val-de-Marne), where his family was a fruit and vegetable wholesaler. It was even at Rungis that he caught the graffiti virus: every morning at dawn, he saw the graffiti trucks of Paris from the 2000s parade there. A procession of styles and aesthetics that made him want to try it out, with the basements of the wholesale market as a training ground. He has kept from Rungis and graffiti the speed of action and the use of the clear line, this line which effectively draws the contours.
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