Adrien Vescovi

Adrien Vescovi lives and works in Paris (FR).

“Vescovi’s practice is to art what that unbearable kid is to humanity in general: a seemingly trivial pirouette capable of posing sharp and crucial questions, all behind the guise of a jester. Vescovi puts himself on the line like an absurd mountaineer on what he calls his Junks Playgrounds (1 & 2, 2010), improvised play areas made from whatever materials are at hand—far too dangerous for children. This unapologetically low-budget Koh Lanta serves as a stage for a childlike mechanical performance, with the artist flaunting his boyish beauty, white tank top and flexed muscles, offering a derisive commentary on the artist’s place—somewhere between idol and sideshow act.

The smoke screen, a self-aware metaphor for trickery if ever there was one, is a recurring motif in Vescovi’s work. When he’s not outright staging a mock battle scene (Remake, 2008), he creates a sense of unease that is quickly revealed to be nothing more than a harmless illusion made convincing by a carefully chosen setting (Stupid White Men, 2011). At other times, he playfully obstructs the classical architecture of landscapes from jigsaw puzzles meant for 9–13-year-olds—yet another ironic take on the architectural obsession gripping nearly half of the male visual artists working today (La dernière pièce, 2010).” — Excerpt from Salle gosse by Dorothée Dupuis