Fred Laforge
My practice focuses primarily on the concept of the atypical body. Within my work, therefore, there is a fascination with non-standard morphologies. I am interested in a particular body type that has been subjected to the judgment of value throughout Western culture. In these works, the bodies that are old, disabled or obese are represented for their aesthetic qualities and the visual poetry they emit. I present these bodies in a new light, flushing out the a priori of the real (is a fat body an ugly body?). Additionally, the neutrality of the term “atypical” is indicative to the desire to remove the moral value that is associated with the concepts of Beauty and Ugliness. Indeed, the etymological relationship between the notions of beauty, of goodness, and of wellness reveals the moral sense of immanent concepts of Beauty and Ugliness. My work reflects primarily in a formal nature, and the various bodies are included for their visual qualities. These formal questions came into light from the distancing of ethics in my aesthetic research.
From a disciplinary point of view, my work revolves around drawing, sculpture and animation. This multidisciplinary practice is viewed in terms of interacting the thematic and the aesthetic. In my studio, while preparing for an exhibition, I generally realize a body of work in three different disciplines. These works are independent but grouped around a particular theme and an aesthetic statement. Monochrome has been a reoccurring aesthetic element in my work. This does not mean pure monochrome, as I often use two colours, black and white. When developing a project, however, I often think in terms of unity of colour; that is to say, the monochrome occupies my mind when I conceptualize a work. The legacy of aesthetic minimalism strongly influences me in the development of my projects.
My work also references the formal aesthetics of classical art. In my inspiration, for example, I use Greek sculpture as a consensus art form to introduce a non-compliant theme: that of the atypical body. These references to classical art act as a reminder of the Hellenistic heritage to the concept of Beauty. The atypical body is thus presented as in opposition to this ideal beauty. The references to classical art also act as an element of seduction for the viewer. It is an aesthetic consensus that the majority of viewers recognize as wonderful art. Using these codes becomes a game of seduction for the viewer. The references to classical art introduce a displacement between the current topic (atypical bodies) and the classical form.
Through the bias of artistic beauty, there lies in the middle of my work the desire to redeem the ugly. The aesthetisation of the atypical body is among those who are influenced by the simplistic concept of beauty in Western thought. My work also aims to qualify the view of the ugly, thereby deploying the potential sensitivity of the non-standard faces
