Linet Andrea, a contemporary French multidisciplinary artist, embarked on her artistic journey during her time at Chelsea College of Art in the early 90s, where she discovered the world of contemporary circus. While pursuing her degree in Sculpture & Multimedia, Linet found herself drawn to both trapeze training and art-making, recognizing the dynamic and human elements that the circus brought to contemporary art.
Driven by a desire to infuse art with the raw danger and truth of the circus, Linet left London to fully immerse herself in aerial training, ultimately earning her diploma from the National Circus School of France (CNAC) at the age of 27. As she continued to hone her skills as a performer, Linet also began to explore her passion for drawing and painting, incorporating elements of live performance into her artwork.
Throughout the late 90s, Linet toured internationally with renowned circus companies such as Archaos and Cahin Caha, all the while exhibiting her artwork on tour. Her distinctive charcoal lines and figurative themes of live performance quickly attracted collectors, establishing her as a notable artist within the contemporary art world.
In 2000, Linet settled in Burgundy, France, where she founded both a family and a gallery space known as Angstrôm. Here, she curated exhibitions and events primarily centered around her own paintings and drawings, which continued to explore the themes of circus and human expression. Linet's work gained further recognition through international exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the Yerba Buena Centre in San Francisco, the Sapporo Art Park in Japan, and La Villette in Paris.
In addition to her exhibitions, Linet has undertaken numerous private and public commissions, including a notable project for the Heritage Foundation of France, creating 14 stations of the Cross. Today, Linet continues to work from her studio in Burgundy, where she places gestural freedom at the core of her artistic process.
With a focus on themes of liberation from various forms of oppression, Linet's work delves into the complexities of human experience, offering a nuanced exploration of sexuality, female emancipation, and the pursuit of freedom. Her recent exhibition, "Dreaming Mutiny," held in 2022, further underscores her commitment to challenging societal norms and advocating for personal liberation through art.
TINKS and things
At the end of last year, in the transitional period after my exhibition, I was searching for a new meaningful theme to work on after "Dreaming Mutiny". I woke up one morning with the phrase "Panic of Having Nothing to Say" that caught me like an arrow and pinned me down.
I realised there was a deep feeling of muteness in the face of my own creative acts and the contemporary art world.
The "void between words" (Marguerite Duras) was the space I wished to explore: the inner space of female surrogate figures, almost tribal, oscillating between form and the unknown.
These unbridled drawings attempt to express the abstract meanderings of the psyche devoid of sexual identity.
Yet while working on the series I felt as if I was grasping at cobwebs, still searching for a theme and fumbling "in the dark"...
This series lead to the desire to develop the project SKINT using interchangeable narratives engaging with the themes of poverty and social injustice.
Resources: social realist films, books, found images and personal research.
This is the first stage for the SKINT* project to create a non-linear narrative in the form of a 70m long frieze inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry.
A depiction of "daily battles" through a series of random, emotionally charged images.
* SKINT def: penniless : short for skinned - close to the bone - penetrating to the point of causing discomfort
More news about SKINT soon...
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TINKS et trucs
À la fin de l'année dernière, dans la période de transition qui a suivi mon exposition, j'étais à la recherche d'un nouveau thème significatif sur lequel travailler après "Dreaming Mutiny". Je me suis réveillé un matin avec la phrase "Panique de n'avoir rien à dire" qui m'a saisie comme une flèche et m'a clouée au sol.
J'ai réalisé qu'il y avait un profond sentiment de mutisme face à mes propres actes créatifs et au monde de l'art contemporain.
Le "vide entre les mots" (Marguerite Duras) était l'espace que je souhaitais explorer : l'espace intérieur des figures féminines de substitution, presque tribales, oscillant entre la forme et l'inconnu.
Ces dessins débridés tentent d'exprimer les méandres abstraits de la psyché dépourvue d'identité sexuelle.
Pourtant, en travaillant sur cette série, j'ai eu l'impression de m'agripper à des toiles d'araignée, de chercher encore un thème et de tâtonner "dans le noir"...
...Dans un moment de découragement, j'ai décidé de regarder un court métrage social.
Transporté par la sensualité et la douleur, j'ai décidé de faire des croquis en utilisant des images fixes soigneusement sélectionnées.
Cette série a donné l'envie de développer le projet SKINT en utilisant des récits interchangeables qui abordent les thèmes de la pauvreté et de l'injustice sociale.
Ressources : films réalistes, livres, images trouvées et recherches personnelles.
Il s'agit de la première étape du projet SKINT* visant à créer un récit non linéaire sous la forme d'une frise de 70 m de long inspirée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux.
Une représentation des “batailles quotidiennes” à travers une série d'images aléatoires et chargées d'émotion.
*SKINT def : dépouillé, fauché : diminutif de skinned - proche de l'os - pénétrant au point de gêner.
Plus de nouvelles sur SKINT bientôt...
