Sculptures that can also be used as tools are central to the artistic practice and process of contemporary artist François Dufeil.
I have been more interested in the means of production rather than in the object as a purpose. As a consequence my sculptures are a means to reach this end. I quickly went into a process in which sculpture makes the new sculpture. They can be called tool-sculptures.
Contemporary artist François Dufeil.
How did your tryst with art begin?
There have been two main meetings in my experience. I started to be interested in drawing and painting thanks to graffiti in large disused areas. This practice made me very curious about arts, so I left wastelands. Then came handcraft with the Compagnons du devoir, who are dedicated French craftsmen. I learned to work with metal in the workshops. It was my first approach with materials. Afterwards, art schools gave me the rest of what makes me. I developed and these two roots now coexist perfectly. Thanks to all these experiences, I do sculpture.
Eclats d’urgence. Contemporary artist François Dufeil. 2019. Contemporary Art center Les Brasseurs Belgium.
What is the primary role of an artist? How do you describe yourself in the context of challenging people’s perspectives via your work and art?
I do not know what the role of an artist should be. Each artist considers her or his practice as he or she sees fit. As far as I am concerned, I carry out a job because I think it is necessary. It is an impulse and I need to evacuate it. I always do it alone with great modesty. Once the sculptures are over, it is essential for me to show them to others, and they take a new shape. From this very moment, we can discuss it, and it becomes a pretext for the conversations, the debates, the affirmations of ideas.
Pilon à vapeur. Contemporary artist François Dufeil. 2018.
How do you deal with the conceptual difficulty and uncertainty of creating work?
I let the desires come, without really being able to manage them. They appear in unexpected ways. It may be due to a fascination with shape, but when a desire arises, I begin to imagine the sculpture. And only from that moment, conceptual notions come to shape, the drawing and the thought.
Let’s talk about the evolution of your practice over the years. Tell us about your commitment to your current medium.
My practice evolved according to my needs. These few years, due to lack of technical means, I have begun to build functional sculptures. I have been more interested in the means of production rather than in the object as a purpose. As a consequence my sculptures are a means to reach this end. I quickly went into a process in which sculpture makes the new sculpture. They can be called tool-sculptures. I came to like this, henceforth, in my opinion I must dissect the process of appearance for a sculpture to have legitimacy. I also invite artists to use and activate my sculptures: painters, plastic artists, musicians, cook, beekeeper… It becomes a meeting moment.
Cloches sous pression. Contemporary artist François Dufeil, 2019. Musician Charles Dubois Contemporary Art Center Parc Saint Léger.
Let’s talk about your career. What were your biggest lessons and hiccups along the way?
Most likely, communities. First one is French Compagnon craftsmen, who are very passionate people and they push their knowledge to the extreme. They know how to demonstrate the relationship between the hand and the mind. It has had a great effect on the work I do today. It is also the place where I live and work today: Le Wonder; a place where 60 artists work. One is subjected to aesthetic shocks. We present works within this place and have held many exhibitions.
My vision changed on account of us ending up alone to create an exhibition. I mean without structure to help us like gallery, art centre and so on. We must produce the pieces, think about space and ensure there is an interest in all this. We must redefine the laws of an exhibition. That means we come out of the comfort that we are usually provided with, we put ourselves in danger, we try things, everything is allowed because we are the ones who make the rules. In fact, we do act on the whole chain of the piece: the production, the financing, the thought and the diffusion. We are lucky to have a large audience to support us. It is an extraordinary experience.
Fonderie somnolente. Contemporary artist François Dufeil. 2017. Wonder Liebert.
What is your experience of the power of formative collaborations? Which residency, curator or gallery helped you along on your artistic journey?
I remember one particular exhibition I took part in, at the Malakoff house of arts. It was a performed residency curated by Florian Gaité. The theme was les intrus, which means interlopers or intruders. The intruder as visitor but who can also be like an artist. The exhibition contained two performers and two sculptures. When we entered, a heavy atmosphere reigned there, a malaise. We had the feeling of not being in our place.
It was amazing how the artistic proposals intertwined to create a whole. If one could personify an exhibition we indubitably would talk about an aura. Everything was in that curatorial work.
Contemporary artist François Dufeil. Photo by Salim Santa Lucia.
Let’s talk about your frameworks, references and process. What inspires you?
I look at architecture a lot, whether vernacular or industrial. I feed on it; it is often a starting point. The know-how inspires me as well, looking at traditions that existed for centuries, and that are being forgotten, lost or erased because of world’s evolution. I pay close attention to that.
What are you looking for when you look at other artists’ work? Who are your maestros?
When I discover an artistic work in which I get lost, in which my references are challenged, I like it. I like the confusion it creates in my mind. It fascinates me to see a work again and constantly discover new notions.
How do you balance art and life?
It is confusing. I can’t really split myself in two. There is a spatial reason. I live in my workplace, so it is difficult to break with my production. And there is a more cerebral reason: I like to look at, document, search, be on the look-out, and that I cannot do it part-time.
Mélangeur. Contemporary artist François Dufeil. 2018. Mecenes du sud.
How do you strike a balance between the commercial and the creative?
Sometimes I rent my sculptures as tools. It is a way to generate funds and I like the idea.
How does your audience interact and react to your work? What is that one thing you wished people would ask you but never do?
I have had the opportunity to interact with my audience when I present an exhibition. The public is often curious. They try to understand how each sculpture works. There is a strong ‘sacralisation’ of the piece of art. In my case, sculptures are one day in an exhibition, and the week after are found at the back of a workshop to serve as tools. But when they pass through the door of a gallery or an art centre they become still. The public is prevented from trying them. It’s a parameter that makes me think right now.
Parapolis. Contemporary artist François Dufeil. 2019. Photo by Charlotte Donker-Toscan.
What are you working on now? What’s coming next season?
I shall continue my tool-sculptures series. Each sculpture feeds the next one, so it is an endless communication. I will have the chance to show them in different exhibitions at the beginning of the year in Paris, in Angers, and in an exhibition at La Graineterie’s art centre which is held every two years.
Before you go – you might like to browse our Artist Interviews. Interviews of artists and outliers on how to be an artist. Contemporary artists on the source of their creative inspiration.