NES - The dark tear

The dark tear
16.5x16.5x96.5 cm
2017

Unique work signed by NES, French female sculptor working in metal
Sculpture in Steel/Metal
Metal sculpture technique, welding
Varnished
Delivered with invoice and certificate of authenticity
Excellent condition
Weight of the sculpture 3.3 kg
Shipped via tracked Colissimo with insurance

Parcours

Nes is a Bordeaux-based artist living in the Médoc. She was born in 1979. A metal designer, she creates sculptures and furniture from recovered metal pieces. Her work has a striking presence, a definite identity drawn from a baroque universe and heavily inspired by punk iconography.
From an early age this young woman oriented herself toward artistic creation. It was in 2003, while finishing university studies with a degree in Applied Foreign Languages, that she discovered metalworking during a trip to Cuba. This discovery, which she experienced as a true revelation, led her to redirect her studies. She completed a qualifying training in metallurgy at IFIP in 2004 and then specialized in 2006 as an industrial and space-oriented welding technician. While continuing to explore contemporary artistic creation self-taught, she completed her training by becoming a qualified pyrotechnician in 2008.
Her works quickly caught the attention of the art world, standing out for strong singularity and earning several articles in the press (see press kit). In 2007, she won a Défi-Jeunes, a program set up by the Ministry of Youth. For her it was a true catalyst that propelled her toward professionalism. From then on, she is frequently commissioned at regional, national and international levels. In 2009 she represented France at the International Competition of the Jeux de la Francophonie, and she exhibited at the UNESCO Palace in Beirut. In 2010, she was invited to UNESCO in Paris where she presented her work in a solo exhibition. As a national laureate of the Envie d’Agir program, she received the 2nd prize in cultural creation awarded by the High Commissioner for Youth. At the regional level in Aquitaine and Charente, she received the 2nd prize in Art Design from Rotary District 1690.
Drouot listing during the public auction “Young Contemporary Creation” (March 22, 2014, Hôtel Drouot, Paris).

Artistic approach

“At age 5, I visited with my parents the torture museum under the Inquisition in Santillana del Mar. The capacity of human beings to make others suffer horrified and fascinated me at the same time. I was frightened by the ingenuity with which man has demonstrated the means to develop so much monstrosity. My work transcends this monstrosity by an appearance of gentleness that hides what humanity can carry of violence within it. I want to show the dark side of humanity, the human experience of suffering, the capacity of man to hide the horror part he buries deep inside himself, in order to highlight the passage from shadow to light.”
By freeing her gesture, Nes reveals through her sculptures a baroque and poetic universe. She draws on the strength of metal to draw the viewer into her world of arabesques, curves and chains. Power in the material, fragility in the airy forms emerging from a complex imagination. From darkness to light, from chain to steel lace…
A baroque universe, another more playful one, both converge toward the same objective: to give a soul back to forgotten industrial elements. Playing with appearances, shadows, light and contrasts, treating hostile materials until artistically guiding them toward softness and lightness. Her artistic signature, expressed through the use of chainsaw chains, led the press to nickname her the “iron lace-maker.” Ambivalence between form and matter, subtlety of plastic language, remaking of materials.
“The questions that drive me: how to exercise discernment and live in society while considering that each person may have a part of monstrosity within them? What are the limits of humanity’s extreme behaviors? How to detach from daily reality, from the illusions of our perception to ease this suffering, to stop concealing this dark part of ourselves? How to free oneself from prejudices and challenge appearances? How to live with this dark side of the soul? Meditate, accept, deny, rebel, renounce?”

Some exhibitions

Exhibition “Resonances” for the 500th anniversary of Sainte-Chapelle and artist residency (09/09-06/11/21; residency: 21-25/09/21, Le Trampoline, Vic-le-Comte (63))
Exhibition and selection at the “3rd International Sculpture Competition” of the Biennale Europea d’Arte Fabbrile di Stia (02/09-05/09/21, Stia, Italy)
International symposium “Metal sympozium” and exhibition on the “Metal Trail” (11/06/18-15/06/18, Mlada Boleslav, Central Bohemia, Czech Republic)
Exhibition during the SNBA 2018 Beaux Arts Fair (13/12-16/12/18, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris)
Exhibition “Arts du feu” at the H.R GIGER Museum (17/10-23/10/15, Gruyères, Switzerland)
Capa Esculturas gallery exhibition (12/09-21/10/2014, Madrid, Spain)
Exhibition “Pas à pas” (09/05-09/06/14, Louveigné, Belgium)
Exhibition at the “Feria Internacional del Arte de Granada” (07/05-12/05/12, Churriana de la Vega, Granada, Spain)
Exhibition at “FIARTE 2012” (8/04-20/04/12, Churriana de la Vega, Granada, Spain)
Exhibition at the “Salón internacional de Mujeres Artistas” (06/03-22/03/12, Maracena, Granada, Spain)
Permanent exhibition of the sculpture “Carpe Diem”: private collection of the Riviera Hotel & Beach Lounge (from 14/05/11, Corniche El Manara, P.O.Box: 11-4021 Riad El Solh 1107 2150, Beirut, Lebanon)
Exhibition of fresh works created during the art symposium “Riviera Fusion” (12/05-30/06/11, Riviera Hotel & Beach Lounge, Corniche El Manara, Beirut, Lebanon)
Exhibition and selection at the International Jeux de la Francophonie competition. Residency. Intervention in a school in Saïda. (27/09/09-06/10/09, UNESCO Palace Beirut, Lebanon)
Permanent exhibition of the sculpture “Pulsations et Convergences”: private collection of the Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais (from 06/10/09, Beirut, Lebanon)

Public commissions / Public collections

Public commission from the town hall of Lacanau: monumental sculpture “Fòrga” created in homage to the heritage site “La Forge” - Permanent exhibition in front of the town hall (07/24, Lacanau (33))
Commission from the Interregional Directorate for Judicial Protection of Youth (DIRPJJ) – South-West (Trophies for the “Parcours du goût” - (13.5x17x35 cm-11.5x16x29.5 cm-11.5x14.5x26.5 cm) - (07/23))
Acquisition of the sculpture “La Force d'âme” by the town of Vic-le-Comte and the Departmental Council of Puy-de-Dôme (Le Trampoline, place de l’Olme, Vic-le-Comte (63) (11/13/21))
Acquisition of the sculpture “Thétis” by the Departmental Council of Charente-Maritime (Atrium of the Maison de la Charente, La Rochelle (17) (08/20/18))
Acquisition of the sculpture “The Dark Tower” by the town of Aiguillon (47) (12/10/16))
Acquisition of the sculpture “Les Trois Portes” by the Beychac et Cailleau Media Library/Art Library (10/05/16))
Public commission: the town hall of Soulac-sur-Mer: sculpture created during the urban residency and public performance “Urban Welding Art” (05/03-12/05/13, Place de la Basilique, Soulac-sur-Mer)
Public commission of UEAJ 33: practical training with youths from Judicial Protection of Youth, aimed at social and professional integration (2013, UEAJ 33, Bordeaux)
Public commission of the Gironde General Council. Trophies “Mission Agenda 21” (15/10/2012, Gironde General Council, Bordeaux)
Public commission of UEAJ 33: creation of panels for the training restaurant “Le P’tit Creux.” Practical training with youths from Judicial Protection of Youth, aimed at social and professional integration (09-10-11/05/12; 14-15-16/05/12; 05-06-07-08/06/12; 11-12-13-14-15-18-19/06/12, Listrac-Médoc workshop)
Public commission of the town hall of Avensan: 20th anniversary of twinning with Castrillo de Murcia (04/2012)
Creation of a monumental mission cross (02/2012, Avensan town hall (33))
Public commission: creation of a monument for the entrance of a multimedia library (Inauguration 10/09/11, Beychac et Cailleau)
Creation of trophies for the Michelet Challenge. Practical training with youths from Judicial Protection of Youth, aimed at social and professional insertion. (2010/2011, UEAJ 33 (Educational Unit for Judicial Protection of Youth of Gironde))
Creation of sculptures for school parking lots. Project completed with the participation of children. (2009, Avensan town hall (33))