Jean-Luc VERNA
Jean-Luc Verna was born in Nice in 1966 where he lives and works today. He teaches drawing at the Villa Arson art school. Moreover, he participates in dance and musical performances.
Jean-Luc Verna juggles borders among cultures, eras and genres. In his drawings and photography, this provocative artist replicates references, addressing major artistic historical figures as well as those of the contemporary rock scene. Verna uses multiple media, draws and sculpts his own body, putting himself at the forefront in his everyday life as in his works. His drawings, transfers, photocopies are enhanced by make-up and blush, conveying the imagery of queer culture. His works are complex processes of references, picturesque juxtapositions and reinterpretations of major works and scenes of everyday life.
Jean-Luc Verna's career began at the end of the 1980's; he now presents his works in France (Nice, Avignon, Galerie Air de Paris in Paris) and abroad (Mamco - Musée d'art moderne et contemporain in Geneva, Grey Art Gallery in New-York, Rodolphe Janssen Gallery in Brussels). Since 1995, his personal shows are often entitled «Vous n'êtes pas un peu beaucoup maquillé ? - Non.» (Aren't you wearing a bit too much make-up? - No.)
Under Claude Gosselin's curatorship, he participated in La Biennale de Montréal in 2002, where he inserted his own wall drawings at the center of his framed works. At the same occasion, Brice Dellsperger's film Body Double X was shown, an adaptation of L'important c'est d'aimer by A. Zulawski in which Verna interorets each and every role.
"Aime-moi" which is presented here, features the silhouette of the magic wand associated to the work of fairiesand childhood. The text " Aime-moi" is engraved on the back of the metal star.
Jean-Luc Verna
« Aime-moi »
2000
Sharp-edge forged metal etched with "Aime-moi"
62,5 x 11 x 0,7 cm - 400 g
Edition of 30
$750