MANIFESTO
Art Sauvage is a group of artists who believe that art is most meaningful and beautiful when confronted to the reality of our environment. Art that is out in the streets and in the countryside is unexpected and unframed; it is unfamiliar to the viewer and ultimately provokes genuine responses and experiences, freed from expectations and formats. This type of art is unprotected, unbound; it is an art that endures, that lives along with its surroundings. Each work of art that we make has a life expectancy depending on its material composition, structure and location. It’s exhibition time and success depends entirely on its integration or dissolution into the world. In many cases the result is a formal dialogue between the artist’s creation and the works context, either with graffiti when it’s in the streets or simply through weather, flora and fauna when it is in the countryside. The point is that Art Sauvage is never static, due to it’s exposure to the realities of our world environment, there is always something happening: a progression of form and matter, unexpected visitors and the manifestation of life in general.
The locations we target are mainly neglected or useless public spaces, abandoned or derelict structures and wounded land in general. It is our mission to generate unexpected artful experiences without causing prejudice to anyone, which is the reason why each location is carefully analyzed and studied before we decide whether to undertake a project. When working in the countryside our most common materials are dirt and mud, but we also use more durable yet natural materials such as wood and stone. In the streets or urban landscapes it is a completely different situation and our concerns shift towards respecting the well being of people in their habitat. For example making sure that none of the artworks obstruct the passing of people.
The beauty and strength of this art lies in the making of something unframed yet that does not disturb the cohesiveness of society. Placing a structure on the boarder of society creates a point of encounter and friction between art and social realities. It generates a displacement of mass and a shift in dynamics within our organized and somewhat controlled physical world: operating as a counter-weight of artistic relief and freedom in people’s structured daily routines. Placing unprotected art on the wild and unspoiled pedestal of the world environment, enables reality to leave its mark and confirm the works’ existence.
The locations we target are mainly neglected or useless public spaces, abandoned or derelict structures and wounded land in general. It is our mission to generate unexpected artful experiences without causing prejudice to anyone, which is the reason why each location is carefully analyzed and studied before we decide whether to undertake a project. When working in the countryside our most common materials are dirt and mud, but we also use more durable yet natural materials such as wood and stone. In the streets or urban landscapes it is a completely different situation and our concerns shift towards respecting the well being of people in their habitat. For example making sure that none of the artworks obstruct the passing of people.
The beauty and strength of this art lies in the making of something unframed yet that does not disturb the cohesiveness of society. Placing a structure on the boarder of society creates a point of encounter and friction between art and social realities. It generates a displacement of mass and a shift in dynamics within our organized and somewhat controlled physical world: operating as a counter-weight of artistic relief and freedom in people’s structured daily routines. Placing unprotected art on the wild and unspoiled pedestal of the world environment, enables reality to leave its mark and confirm the works’ existence.
| art_sauvage_manifesto.pdf |