LAYRAL

Born in Rodez in 1972, Sebastien Layral studied Applied Arts at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Toulouse. During his study the director of a school for autistic children contacted him to embark on a project to create a workshop environment to develop and showcase the student’s work. Layral worked there for two years before setting up his own studio and becoming an independent artist in 1998. Much of his early development work were portraits in different forms, working with photos of models in magazines to explore the cliché of the ‘perfect’ female form. He cuts out and pastes bodies on the canvas, replacing their faces by painted his own. Formats varied with some being presented in the style of a ABC-book. By undertaking this process he began to use participation and interaction in his work, a concept which he continues to explore. At the end of 1999, an invitation came to produce a collection to exhibit at Manoir Saint Felix in Rodez. This was the beginning of a continuous theme of reflecting the profound relationship between the portrait, the artist and the model. In 2000 Le Rire Bleu gallery in Figeac exhibited his works as well as Elvis Godart gallery in Rodez. Layral’s work was also shown at Salon de la Jeune Création, Paris, 2001 following on from his “model-magazines” work, however this time the images were replaced with personal photos of “real” photos submitted by contributors online. At FRAC Auvergne 2001 (Fonds Regional d’Art Comtemporain d’Auvergne) and at Salon de la Jeune Création 2002 (Paris Hall de la Villette) he presented a series of portraits created with anonymous online participants. The conversations on video chats were also transcribed on paper and hidden inside the canvas under perspex sealed with wax to show the fingerprints of the artist. A watercolour of the model is then produced with the words visible on the face of the model, superimposed on white acrylic. For this series, the artist was entirely dependent on the freedom of expression of the participants who did not act as models - the main purpose was to create a forum for expression. The painter has very little time to paint during these exchanges, hence the use of watercolour. The painting evolves depending on the dialogue and the model directly assists with the final work, with the artist demonstrating the painting in progress via his webcam. The choice of material and the technical elements are discussed throughout which means the model impacts on the act of painting (and not the reverse). So the model no longer submits to the will of the painter.

In 2004 Sebastien Layral presented his project “Peintomaton” for the first time at ESC Clermont Ferrand (Business School) entitled “@go pART I”. The exhibition was over three floors with paintings, videos and installations. “Peintomaton” involved an installation similar to that of a photo booth whereby participants insert ten euros as if they were about to have passport photos taken. Instead of a snapshot, a screen projects a live video of Layral painting their image in the booth in watercolour. The objective here was as per the previous exhibitions at FRAC and La Jeune Creation – the audience is invited to become the model. Often when the model sees the painter reproducing their image they change their attitude, it might be that they become uncomfortable or they adjust their posture so the painter must adapt to these changes. This again, creates a link between the participant and artist. The model is free to change the image of themselves so Layral offers a chance to connect fully with themselves and each other. In 2005 LAYRAL was invited to present a new series at Saint Felix Manor in Rodez. The central theme being how we can open someone by a smile. “@go PART II” returns to thinking about people. He painted a series of teeth belonging to his friends, one of the virtues needed for social relationships and making connections with others. A tattoo made from his own teeth/smile was inked to the back of his skull to record this period. In 2005 he presented a series of paintings for the Denys Puech Museum in Rodez, as part of his “@go pART I” exhibition. In 2007, “@go pART III Peintomaton” opened at the gallery with the theme of emotion. Visitors were invited to make an appointment, during the month of the performance. At this meeting the model is naked and the room is concealed by a piece of white cloth. Inside this space are an armchair, camera, remote control and two video screens (A and B). The model is free and can see the live image on screen A. The image is also projected into a room where the artist is and where he produces the portrait whilst being filmed so that the model can view it on screen B. The model can see the way their image is translated into paint and can understand the link that unites them and so a kind of self-awareness is created. In this way Layral continues to exchange experiences with others for a more sustained period of time. A tattoo on his face to symbolises this concept, acting as a literal marking of his body to demonstrate the idea.

In 2010 the artist had another tattoo inked to his forearm depicting the virtue of doubt. His next work “@go pART IV” was the natural progression – a series of black and white or white only paintings of Internet pornography site images. Visitors are invited to comment on the images that they see and are filmed on camera in a closed room. Layral collates the comments and uses one word that reflects their overall feeling expressed in the video. The portraits unite the comments the participants made. Models are invited to give their own judgment of their portrait by writing it on the canvas. As before the models are invited not only to give a critical opinion of the portrait, but to participate in completing the work, so the art appears as a dialogue which emerges through this process of contact. In 2011, Layral performed a three way video screening at the Denys Puech Museum in Rodez. One camera is orientated towards the canvas; a second held by the model and the third by a member of the public. The painter is on the same side as the model that is nude. All of the participants can see, share and understand each other’s points of view using the three projections. Once complete the painter presents the canvas to the public and physically, completely erases the image in front of them, someone else is then invited to be the next model. This experience was repeated in 2011 at the artist’s studio in Chatel Guyon as well as Europavox a festival in Clermont Ferrand the same year. It will also be repeated at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris in July 2014. Between 2011-2012 Layral presented a project entitled “INO ONI”. Firstly the artist asks the model to write self-portrait as accurately as possinble, a photographic portrait is taken semi-nude, with their upper or lower clothes removed. During this exchange the artist and model have a conversation where other intimate details may be revealed, which are not published. The artist paints the model with the visible parts of the body painted white and their clothes half of their body are painted in colour. The final step is to sand the surface of the painting, to alter and fade the portrait to make it porous, more fragile and fleeting. This loss of texture makes it harder to work on, the words written by the model during conversations with the artist allows the shared experience to be captured. A new symbol to commemorate this interaction is tattooed on the lower neck and torso of the artist. In 2012 Sebastien Layral exhibited at the Nicolas Deman Gallery in Paris where he showed “INO ONI” and a retrospective of self-portraits to reflect on his 40 years of age. All the portraitswere poses in various positions with a touch of self-deprecating humour. Fifteen paintings were created to represent fifteen different critical comments with one sentence taken and inscribed on the canvas, creating a relationship between the work and people’s judgement in order to make peace with their comments. A further tattoo was done on the artist’s back at the opening of an Exhibition in Aveyron symbolic of this research work. A tattoo artist drew freehand a design of a tree, reminiscent of a cherry blossom which were tattooed in places as instructed by various participants and finally three visitors had the same symbol tattooed on themselves to mark this connection. In 2013 at Manor Saint Felix in Rodez, Layral painted 80 portraits, from photographic images created over a six-month period for a collection entitled “VANITE”. Once complete the models themselves modified their image adding their own touch and vision to the painting. Layral does not view the work as complete until the subject has worked on it. During the opening week the artist creates watercolour portraits of 70 people, once complete he takes the hand of the model and applies it to the picture, to create a physical change between the model and the painting. This process of contact touches all; the artist, the model, the work and the public. For the current project “DESIRE” an exhibition will be held in Hong Kong in May 2014. For this series the artist asked the model to write a description of their concept of desire which will be retained for a future book. They were also asked to choose a colour which represents their perception of the word. The lips of the model will become this colour. A photo is then taken from the waist up of them wearing a garment that they consider consistent with the theme. The subject is then invited to the studio to evolve the canvas further using two colours. The first a colour of their choice, the second titanium white (an allegory of the physical expression of desire). The first emotion provoked by the painting should not be a fear or barrier to changing their image but should lead to a questioning of the image, which allows them to alter the image freely. The performance element will be an interview with the artist direct with the public to reiterate the participation in VANITIES.