Christophe Guinet, born in Paris, lives between town and country. He is a maker of works of art with a sensitive and contemplative approach, which he translates into an artistic process that is part of the final work of art.
As ephemeral and fragile as a bouquet of flowers, Christophe’s compositions show us the beauty of nature through everyday and cult objects. The artist’s creations are inspired by nature and its greatness as well as by his personal experiences: he grew up between town and country, always keeping in touch with nature. As a teenager, he developed a passion for plants, especially the cultivation of orchids: attracted by their exacting needs and rewarded by the beauty and delicacy of their flowers.
His craft allowed him to realize what kind of world we are living in: worried by industrialization, manipulation, and how human thought was changing, Christophe becomes more careful when collecting raw natural materials. Contemplative and passionate aesthete of the plant world, he uses his findings related to places and seasons to create works of art with care and concentration close to completionism or meditatione close to perfectionism.
Christophe Guinet is a sculptor who has been working in the field of art for over 30 years. He works with natural materials like wood, stone, and glass to create his sculptures. The artist is interested in the conservation of plants, which is why he chooses to work with them as his medium. His pieces are often made out of wood, glass, or stone and some can be found in gardens all over the world.
The artist’s first solo exposition took place at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 2010. Since then he has exhibited throughout Europe and America. His work was recently featured on the cover of Artforum magazine and he was awarded a residency at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City during 2012-2013 where he created new work based on his travels across Africa and India.
Monsieur Plant has an extensive body of work that is ever-expanding, with a dedication to creating striking works with subtly layered meanings. TWIST is particularly fascinating because it confronts viewers with the same ideas that led to its creation–what if trees could turn themselves into other forms? And by looking closely at the texture, bark patterning, and root structure on display here, you may find more living trees than you thought possible.
Monsieur Plant’s works are at once beautiful and playful, but also a subtle critique of how we humans often seek to control nature. It is an admirable goal, to preserve nature, but we should not take the liberty to decide its shape. After all, a tree has the right to grow in any way it chooses.
Beyond the astonishing optical illusions, Mr. Plant’s creations offer other-worldly interpretations of familiar materials. His oeuvre speaks to a broader commentary on the use of sustainable materials and our position in relation to both natural and man-made environments.
While these sculptures aren’t an exact copy of a seedling, they exhibit the base traits of one to create a seamless, believable result. And while they appear to be filled with the earth rather than its lack—with weed sprouts and exposed roots—there’s a kind of beauty in their contradictory nature, a reminder that growth can come from great struggle. Nurtured by the love of its creator, TWIST allows us all a chance to see something familiar in a new light.
Christophe Guinet
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