PUZZLE

{2017}

“Apparent simplicity, invisible complexity” could be the leitmotiv of the series entitled “Puzzles”. Piece by piece, Cécile Plaisance assembles the destiny of our contemporary icons. She draws our attention to the tangle of sentiments, emotions and experiences which make all of us what we are. Between shadow and light, these puzzles are nuanced, mosaic-style portraits which illustrate our strengths and weaknesses. For a distance, everything is always clear. But when we get closer …
All achievements depend on a subtle ensemble of factors; what we gain here, we lose there. Successes begin with failures, with work and sacrifice, later accompanied by talent, and sometimes by chance. Putting the pieces of her puzzle together, Plaisance reveals this manifold reality, these fragmentary lives, so different from the monolithic portraits of women and men about whom we think we already know everything.
Social networks have destroyed Jean-Paul Sartre’s prophecy. We are not quite what we appear to be. Whether we are stars or ordinary people, we now project our dreams and stereotypes. Plaisance shows us that reality is more complex.
Our society prefers stock images. It offers us all the facile advantages, all the shamelessness, all the shortcuts. Plaisance’s meticulous work reminds us of the degree to which men and women are the fruit of a complex architecture. It references a biological reality in which everything is interwoven, where everything is superimposed. What we experience imprints itself on us. Forever.

 

STEVE & FAYE: 125x95cm or 49x37''
BARBIE: 95x125cm or 37x49''
SMOKING BB: 125x95cm or 49x37''
PAMELA: 95x125cm or 37x49''
ROMY: 95x125cm or 37x49''
MONICA: 95x125cm or 37x49''
AUDREY: 95x125cm or 37x49''
MICK: 95x125cm or 37x49''
ELVIS: 95x125cm or 37x49''
MARILYN: 95x95cm or 37x37''
BB (CLAUDIA): 95x125cm or 37x49''
BEBEL: 95x125cm or 37x49''
Marilyn's Cigare: 125x95cm or 49x37''
MOHAMED: 95x95cm or 37x37''
BB SAUVAGEONNE: 95x125cm or 37x49''
ROMY & ALAIN: 95x95cm or 37x37''
MARILYN'S FACE: 95x95cm or 37x37''