Luxembourg Art Prize 2020

2020 BOTANIC ART PRIZE, 2 November 2020 - 1 January 2021. Gallery 125, York Western Australia

BANKSIA MAN (110cm x 110cm) is inspired by the 1918 published Australian author May Gibbs. It is the adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and their troubles with the villains of the stories; the Banksia Men, modelled on the appearance of aged Banksia "cones", with follicles for eyes and other facial features. But I am proposing a contemporary version of the Banksia Man where the follicles became part of the man body, the leaves will be placed such as a super hero/villain mask and hairy flowers of the Banksia specimen are completing a fiction decor.

2020 BOTANIC ART PRIZE, 2 November 2020 - 1 January 2021. Gallery 125, York Western Australia

Banksia Man, Christophe Canato’s work is inspired by the 1918 published adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepieby Australian author May Gibbs.

 

The central story arc concerns Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and their adventures along with troubles and the villains of the stories; the Banksia Men.

 

In the original series of books the villains "big bad" Banksia Men are modelled on the appearance of aged Banksia "cones", with follicles for eyes and other facial features. But Christophe Canato is proposing a contemporary version with his Banksia Man where the follicles became part of the man body, the leaves will be placed such as a super hero/villain mask and hairy flowers of the Banksia specimen are completing a fiction decor. 

 

To reinforce the notion between fantasy and real, Canato uses multiple layers of photographs to deliver a final image more or less fuzzy, evanescent as in a dream. The powdery colours bring a feeling of serenity and softness to the disturbing character.

 

ANIMA - Perth Centre For Photography, 26 September - 07 November 2020

 ANIMA. The inner feminine side of a man.

 

Christophe Canato has made his name in France, Australia and Singapore as a photo-media artist. His work examines male roles and identities in our contemporary western contexts. Canato is interested about exploring social issues such as politics and religion, including physical identities and sexual orientations.What questions this artist is the notion of belonging or rejection and the status that man is supposed to hold in society. 

 

Canato’s new work Anima is an immersive, polychromatic photographic series that is exploring the inner feminine side of the man.

 

The Anima is both a personal complex and an archetypalthat expresses the fact that man psychehas a minority of feminine qualities according to psychologist Carl Jung (26 July 1875 - 6 June 1961). It is an unconscious factor incarnated anew in every male child and is responsible for the mechanism of projection. The Anima versus Animus are described by Jung as part of his theory of theCollective unconscious.In every man there is a woman and in every woman a masculine side, her Animus.

 

On the other hand, one of the factors that the artist likes to take into account in his research is the colour of the skin. But this time Canato is interested in the extraordinary character of the imaginary skin colours such as blue, green, red or white although making references to codes recognizable by all. To name a few Krishna or Shiva as part of the Indian divinities and in another register James Cameron’s fiction Avatar.

 

 

Biography

 

Born in France, Christophe Canato undertook postgraduate studies in Grenoble and Paris, where he continued to live and work before moving to Perth Australia in 2005. His work has been exhibited in more than fifty solo and collective exhibitions including the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Multiple prize winner Christophe Canato’s photographs are also included in public collections such as Artbank Australian Federal Government collection. His series are published internationally in France, England, Australia including the Chinese magazine Photoworld with a eight page publication, March 2020.

SPRING, mentoring program for visual artists

SPRING MENTORING FOR VISUAL ARTISTS
With Christophe Canato
APPLY HERE: artsource.typeform.com/to/MiWYYnrH

Christophe is a French-Australian photographer and photomedia artist based in Perth since 2005, having graduated from the Beaux-Arts in France. Over the past 25 years, he has extensively exhibited with more than 17 solo exhibitions and about 40 collective shows in Australia, France and Singapore. His work has won multiple prizes and awards such as Minawarra Art Award WA, International Photographic Award USA, Jeune creation Fr. One of his photographs is currently on show at the National Portrait Gallery of Canberra. His work is included in Artbank, Australian Federal Government collection, St John of God collection, Joondalup City Council collection, City of Wanneroo collection including La Sacem and Business & Decision French collections. Christophe was a board member of Art On The Move from 2015 until 2019. Christophe is also an experienced commercial photographer including extensive collaborations within the visual art and performing art sectors with organisations such as Art Gallery of Western Australia, PICA, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, Artsource, DADAA, WAPPA, Strut Dance and Ausdance. He also documented multiple individual artist artworks.

Christophe will meet with artists for up to 8hrs over a three-month period to mentor on developing new projects and career adaptation. The partnership will evolve across the following areas:
Establishing the relationship - getting to know and learning from each other
Setting the direction - how Christophe as a mentor will be able to help you progress
Progression - reflection, adjustment and accomplishment
Winding up - what is next in your respective careers
Moving on - remain as colleagues in the visual art sector.

APPLY HERE: artsource.typeform.com/to/MiWYYnrH

More information about mentoring: artsource.net.au/mentoring
More information about Christophe: christophecanato.com

@deptlgsc @lotterywest @artsourcewa@christophecanato @fluxgalleryperth#artmentor #westernaustralia #art#waart #madeinwa #contemporaryart#springartsmentoring#christophecanato 

Eight pages publication in the Chinese magazine PHOTOWORLD n°459 - 2020/March

English version accessible soon

Artist Talk, 2019 National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist

 

Finalist - National Portrait Prize 2020 - NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, CAMBERA

Finalist - 2020 MANDORLA Art Award, Western Australia