Gilbert Peyre’s artistic universe lies on the borderline between
fine arts and theater. His outrageous animated sculptures deliver
outstanding performances in which ordinary objects reveal an improbable
life of their own. In the bizarre world that Peyre’s imagination
conjures up, chairs wrestle, mechanical rats rap-dance and clothing
suspended from hangers sways in time to music.
Who is Gilbert Peyre? A self-taught artist difficult to fit into
any category. Born in a small village in the hills above Nice,
Peyre was fascinated by the troupes of traveling acrobats who
still toured the French countryside during the 1950s, performing
in fairgrounds... Inspired from these old-time saltimbanques,
his first mobile sculptures were created with bits of wire and
painted metal.
Originally intended as a tribute to Alexander Calder’s Circus
sculpture these ingeniously simple pieces could be set in motion
by pulling on a cord or wire. Assembled in his crowded Montmartre
studio, a former boucherie on the rue Durantin, these works were
on permanent view in its large storefront window, and crowds often
gathered before thevitrine to enjoy impromptu spectacles.
When he first came to Paris, Peyre worked in a café for a short
time, but his artistic creations rapidly became a full-time activity.
The artist’s first show took place in an 18th arrondisement Renault
garage. This quickly triggered more art-oriented offers, and just
2 years later in 1980, Peyre was included in a much-publicized
exhibition organized by Paris’ prestigious Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
In recent years, his electrical devices and mechanisms have become
increasingly complex. Although he’s occasionally compared to Tinguely
or Marcel Duchamp, Gilbert Peyre has had the good sense to remain
outside of any formal group.
In his circus-ring installation now on display, the visitor is
invited to attend individual performances. A new show begins every
20 minutes. In one eloquent piece the main character is a garbage
can labeled “GENIUS.” When it is activated, an agitated rocking
movement threatens to topple it over, then from within the tightly-closed
pail one hears terrible pounding and a tiny muffled voice calls
“Let me out!, let me out!”
Tongue-in-cheek, many of Peyre’s works make us laugh at the world
— and, at ourselves.
Gilbert Peyre To Feb 25, daily, 10am to 6pm, Halle Saint-Pierre,
2,rue Ronsard, 18e, M°Anvers, tel: 01 42 58 72 89
