“We live in a material world where everything is disposable…”
Name
Le Diamantaire
Profession
Artist
Website
Who are you? What do you do?
My artist name is Le Diamantaire and I stick diamonds on the streets of the world. My street diamonds are made from mirror found in the garbage. I also do sculptures made of steel and mirror for galleries. What I want to do with this project is to surprise and sometime even cheat on the spectator. Thru this street art project of mine, i wanna show that it’s still possible to donate and transform our waste into jewels. We live in a material world where everything is disposable and second chance is not an option anymore, but it’s possible to transform to sublimate.
Where are you from?
I come from Normandy where I live and work, in my studio. But i’m in Paris quite often.
Your style in 3 words?
Minimalist,symmetric, mirror
Your weakness? Your strength?
I would say that one of my weakness are colors… I never know what to do with it and it makes the work pretty hard when I have to use them. I think it’s something I don’t have in me. So I try to work with it and mostly without it. Thats why there are not many colors into my sculptures or paintings. For my strength I would say that it is the matter that interests me a lot and it’s always amazing to tame it, to see a sculptor grow and to take shape thanks to my hands and my imagination.
What makes you different?
I always try to stay neutral in my work and let the spectator find his way… It’s like a parallel world where the spectator could dive in… And lose himself. All my sculptures that are made of mirrors keep changing all the time with the weather. Movement and their own environment is what make them brilliant.
When did you decide to become an artist?
I never thought of becoming an artist, I’m not even having an artistic soul. I’ve discovered art thru graffiti and I would say that it has been a revelation to me. I come from a modest family and art had no place in my childhood. Graffiti has been a big discovery for me… I’ve started to get interested in hip hop, then funk, which brought me to pop art and some more conceptual stuff…I don’t think we’re born as an artist… I think you become an artist. It’s about developing a certain kind of sensibility and hard work.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process of your work?
To see my sculpture building up always amazed me, from the computer, at the very beginning, to the moment I start to deal with the matter. But the real pleasure comes when I look at the spectator watching my creations and start to touch them to understand their structure. I love to play with the spectator and I love that feeling that I have, the power to create all my desires.
A few words about your favourite creation?
I don’t have a favorite piece of art…Each one of them is a different kind of experience that makes me understand the different types of effects I can get with the mirrors…I would say that each new piece is my favorite one…And that’s why it’s so hard for me to expose my old work…For me, they are already old fashion in a certain way…
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
Creation is like a puzzle to me. I peek into all the things that I’ve seen along the day and the project composes itself step by step. I admire the work of Elliason, Kappor and Koons but my true inspiration comes from my everyday life.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
The next step for me is movement…I would really love to make my art pieces turn and go deeper into kinetic art. Make a piece that can shine like a real diamond. I also want to do more wall painting that I call “blue print”. That link’s my work in the studio and my street art.
Do you have a vision? 2017: Where are we going?
This year I’ve been lucky. I’ve stuck diamonds in Guadeloupe in the middle of nowhere, on the top of the Soufriere volcano, on small Caribbean sea islands, on an abandoned boat, or in the forest. I have also been to California where I stuck diamonds in L.A., Joshua tree, and the Mojave desert. This next year I’d really love to go to Japan, discover their culture and stick some diamonds in towns and countrysides
Your city’s favourite spots?
Los Angeles for the sun and the cars, Paris for the architecture, museums and friends, Zurich for the kindness of people and the Trace gallery that took care of me, and Montreal for being open-minded.
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