Léonard Martin is our 2017 digital art - video art Revelation !
Each year, in partnership with a range of cultural stakeholders, the ADAGP encourages young talents in the fields of visual arts, photography, design, art books, comics, urban art and digital art – video art. The Digital Art – Video Art Revelation prize is presented in collaboration with Le Fresnoy.
In awarding the Digital Art – Video Art Revelation prize, the ADAGP has teamed up with Le Fresnoy in Tourcoing to present the "Panorama 19" exhibition (22 September – 31 December). This is the annual cultural gathering at Le Fresnoy, presenting works produced by the students of the Le Fresnoy school during the year 2016-2017: video and/or sound installations, sculptures, photography, performance etc.
For this prize, the jury made its decision based on installation and video works by second year students, and they wish to emphasise the high quality of their work.
The jury, consisting of José Manuel Gonçalves, director of le CENTQUATRE, the artist Miguel Chevalier and Fabien Simode, director of L’œil magazine, have chosen to honour Léonard Martin for his work Echappée guère. "In this piece, Léonard Martin has designed a wooden sculpture that brings James Joyce's original intent into the modern era: by enacting Joyce's words, he has created a work that never ends. The relationship between the physical and digital media is remarkable, shedding new light on the whole. The digital element here is a tool that serves the artist and not an end unto itself. This playful work takes a different stance to received notions about digital art. It is in keeping with the Le Fresnoy school lineage, a perfect summation of the present concerns of the visual artist".
The jury also gave a special mention to Marie Lelouche for her installation entitled Blind Sculpture.
The inventiveness and eclecticism of the Le Fresnoy school is perfectly in line with the ADAGP's desire to support contemporary creativity in all of its possible forms through its cultural activity and its support for artists' rights.