Etienne Viard

Honoré, 2017, corten steel sculpture, abstract, rust, minimalism, arcs

2017

Fragmented, stretched, curved, horizontal or vertical, this line lies constant on one fragile balance. Inspired by ripples and undulations of both botanical and mineral shapes; Viard extends that movement while focusing on its precarious yet perpetual intrinsic tension. Defining himself as a « Steel Sculptor », Viard uses Corten steel in order to highlight the symbiosis that occurs between the artwork and its environment through the superficial rust. The raw material is placed in a way which aims at questioning the principle of conservation of mass, something which generally applies to three dimensional art. Whether created for indoor or outdoor display, his sculptures present a range of contradictory gestures, such as protruding shapes or chinks which are monumental signs redefining the space around them. The dialogue hence created between the sculpture and its environment is also given an additional rhythm through the introduction of the zenital light in situ, consequently reinterpreting the variations of a répertoire today considered as classic. Born in France in 1954, Etienne Viard lives and Works in Paris and in the Vaucluse (south of France).