The “labour theory” to read Pascale Martyne Tayou in Bregenz

 

Born 1966 in Nikongsamba, Cameroon, Pascal Martin Tayou – the feminine “e” at the end of the name has been added later by the artist – has currently a solo show titled “I love you!” at the Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria. According to the artist’s modus operandi, the production of the more relevant artworks on show has involved groups of people of different ages and from a wide range of cultural background – as, for example, some trainees from the Vorarlberger Kraftwerke AG power company. From this point of view, that seems rooted in the “relational aestethics” by Nicholas Bourriad, a parallel with the social and poetical approach to design by the Fernando and Humberto Campana would be useful. Besides a certain affinity in the use of accumulation of objects – always remember the Ramachandran’s figural primitives – it seems that Tayou and the Campana’s are representing the same kind of sentimental glorification of the “labor” needed to produce a certain kind of “creative” commodity. Thus a good way to make a step forward in explaining the shifty title of Tayou’s current solo show could be going back to Karl Marx’s “The Capital”. And then, is “I love you!” a sarcastic statement, as well as a sentimental one? We think so, also thanks to the brief interview we had with Pascale Martine Tayou a few months ago:

 

Which is your favorite subject?

 

Human Being.

 

Do you believe in abstraction?

 

Sometimes.

 

Which is the most inspiring place for you?

 

The earth.

 

Which is the quality that you prefer in an art dealer?

 

Loyalty and Friendship.

 

Which one in a collector?

 

Creativity.

 

Who is your favorite artist?

 

Human Being.

 

Is there any color or shape that you really hate?

 

Not Really.

 

What makes an idea become an artwork?

 

Idea himself.

 

Which novel is better comparable to your idea of art?

 

Under construction.

 

Which song or kind of music?

 

Birds sounds.

 

What would you have done if you were not an artist?

 

I am not an Artist!

June 29, 2014