Sebastien Courty paints on three-dimensional dimensional surfaces, screenprinting silk organza and other luscious textiles. The treatment gives off this photomontage-like effect, where layers of images overlap and blend together. In the composite joining and layering of images, you can find many references to classic sculpture and painting, which inform you of his fine arts background and fascination with how artists have historically depicted the human form.
In one of his pieces, entitled Bernini vs Da Vinci, displaced body parts from sculpted marble statues – faces, torsos, arms, legs, and other appendages – are entangled in a sepia tone overlay. In effect, he captures this expressive quality in the embodiment of flesh. The burly marble forms – their texture, form, and appearance – create a hyper real, tactile visual of representation of the human body.
Using textiles as canvas allows Sebastien to create a nuanced sensibility of between space and form. Unlike the surface of a canvas, the textiles allow him to apply different treatments and interact in any given interior in a multi-dimensional capacity. As opposed to canvas, which are typically flat and rather two-dimensional, using textiles allows Courty to enter the three-dimensional sphere: a realm where his works have their own inner life force.
We asked Sebastien to more about the ephemeral qualities of materials, the powerful imagery of the human form, and his unique ability for translating the ideas of ancient civilizations onto ambidextrous fabrics. This is what he said:
What do you hope to accomplish with your work?
Art and painting always have been a part of [my life] since I was a little kid. I grew up in Limoges, in the west of central France. My uncle was the first one to push me and put a pencil in my hand. He told me to always look around, to use and be inspired by every single element that my eye could see and depict.
With my art, I want to transmit raw and primal emotions. Ideally, I would love to create a piece that could be so profound and meaningful to a particular individual that they feel that they will not be able to live without it.
You come from a fine arts background, specifically in painting. How did you end up working with textiles and fashion?
When I turned seventeen, I moved to Paris against my parent’s wishes to attend the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. I’ve always wanted to become a painter but after I realized that being a painter in the 21st century was not the most realistic choice I transferred into a French Textile & Fashion school called Studio Mode Paris. I had no patience for fashion but loved the feelings that I experienced from creating it – the movement and the tactility of textiles. Most importantly, I was missing the grittiness and lawless aspect of creating visual art. After having worked and experienced success in the French capital, I moved to New York to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology to explore new methodologies and techniques.
To that end, I decided only to work with textiles, [using] different techniques with different materials. After what seemed like an endless search, I found silk. I like to hand paint and screen print on it and other noble fabrics. I present my work in a gallery like a painter would present his canvas. The only difference is that I can propose different applications and communicate with architecture and interiors in a very different way than a garment does.
In previous interviews, you’ve mentioned that you’re inspired by Baroque sculptors, specifically Bernini. Like many Bernini sculptures – particularly The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa – there is a fine line between agony and ecstasy, between the human form and sensuality. What about that inspires you and how does it show up in your own work?
That sculpture is absolute beauty…flawlessly fleshy. He uses marble to resemble flesh in appearance, texture, and form. There is a sensual, yet sinister quality in weight of the material. These sculpted human forms are forever frozen in archaic postures. You can definitely see the influence of otherworldly ephemera and the bodily embodiment of the human experience.
But, can you imagine being in an Italian artist in the 18th century? [I find] their love for the human form somehow flawed yet pure all at once, mind blowing. Pure, strong, delicate and intense. [That is why I] want to bring as much visceral tangibility to my work.
I’m very interested specifically in your piece entitled Bernini vs Da Vinci. What were you exploring here?
Bernini vs Da Vinci is a series of composition on silk. Inspired by Renaissance sculptures, these pieces are a reflection of the freedom and state of mind that artists had in the 18th century. The human body was considered as beauty and pleasure. Inside the artist’s studio, nothing was shocking or forbidden.
You just had an exhibition in Beijing. Can you tell me a bit about that?
Of course. My exhibition was called UNKNOWN EMPIRE and was composed of 16 pieces. I was inspired by the recent discovery of an ancient Chinese Tomb in a Chinese province. I used elements that were found in the tomb such as bronze arrows, horse bones, and copper coins.
Regarding my technique and multimedia layering, I create my own tools and brushes. Like those of my mentor, Pierre Soulage, I always try to come up with new methods in order to create a very intentional style and vision. Every step of the design process has to be thought out.
Are there any future projects in the works?
Yes, I am currently working on my next exhibition at THE GALLERY at Industry City in Brooklyn and collaboration with the interior and furniture designer Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. The opening will be April 28th and last a bit after the NYC Design Week. I am also working on my next solo exhibition in Shanghai and future one in South Korea and New York.
For more information please visit sebastiencourty.com
