Le renard
1999
Painted photograph
95.5 x 116 cm (37 5/8 x 45 11/16 in.)
Always on the lookout for new sources, Pierre and Gilles immersed themselves in mythological imagery to create Le Renard (The Fox). They talked about their attraction to this source of inspiration. “Myths, gods and demigods fascinated us,” they said. “These stories whisked us off [...] to a world of dreams, cruelty and miracles where the divine rubs shoulders with history.” Here, the fox may be a kistune, a figure in Japanese folklore endowed with magical powers.
The work depicts a young man’s naked, lifeless body coming out of the ground as an intrigued fox approaches. The scene gives off a macabre yet enchanting air. The pictorial treatment of the details gives the photograph a supernatural aspect that may evoke fairy tales or a fantasy world.
Le Renard by Pierre & Gilles was presented by the Pinault Collection in Lille at the Tri Postal during the 2008 “Passage du Temps” (“Passage of Time”) exhibition.
The work depicts a young man’s naked, lifeless body coming out of the ground as an intrigued fox approaches. The scene gives off a macabre yet enchanting air. The pictorial treatment of the details gives the photograph a supernatural aspect that may evoke fairy tales or a fantasy world.
Le Renard by Pierre & Gilles was presented by the Pinault Collection in Lille at the Tri Postal during the 2008 “Passage du Temps” (“Passage of Time”) exhibition.
Exhibitions
© Pierre et Gilles
Courtesy Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris
