4 pas dans les nuages

Behind a cloud of plexiglass and painted metal, a neon bird in flight shines a diffuse light on the flat surface. Linking two of Martial Raysse's favourite materials, plastic and neon, 4 Pas dans les nuages (4 Steps in the Clouds) unites colour in the mass with living colour. This incongruous combination, which shows a blue cloud, deviates from naturalism and produces a powerful visual effect.

Raysse often uses neon for its flashiness, but here its vibrancy is obliterated. Reduced to a white light with blurry contours, it looks like a calming, almost divine symbol that fosters contemplation.

Deeply rooted in the Pop Art world Raysse liked so much early in his career, the sculpture 4 Pas dans les nuages is in the Pinault Collection. It was first exhibited at the "Sequence 1" show in 2007 at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice.