The bas-relief "Crucifixion" by François Marchand is absent to make way for a suspended wax drape made by Juliette Minchin. The crucified man has disappeared: all that remains is the cloth that hid his nakedness. Echoing the loincloth worn by Jesus - the Perizonium - very present in the imagery of the crucifixion, the work appears as a sacred cloth.
This fabric also refers to the "Descent from the Cross" where a sheet helps the characters to support and carry the body of Christ and then serves as a shroud.
Over time, the drape becomes the living element of the painted and sculpted Crucifixions contrasting with the dead body. The plasticity of the wax then allows to give the living and flexible aspect to the fabric.
"Relic" is inspired by traditions that celebrate the passage of time through wax, a material that accompanies the contemplation of those who remain to ward off their fear of the afterlife. She also borrows her imagination from the Omphalos, which consists in covering a sacred object with a cloth to protect it.
The title "Relic" refers to the brown cloth supposed to have touched the body of Christ, displayed in the cathedral of Aachen. The material of wax, fragile and recyclable, raises the question of the object's durability.
from August 30 to September 30
Beaux-Arts de Paris, Chapelle des Petits-Augustins
Work produced with the support of the Amis des Beaux-Arts de Paris.
Relique, 2021, 79 x 55 x 14 cm, cire et laiton patinés
