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Libre Pensée

    an investigative photo documentary

Exclusive 18-page photo essay from our investigative journalist team in collaboration with award-winning photojournalist Corentin Fohlen. Location: Paris, France Copyright Wondereur 2023.

MEET with artist Facteur Chevaux curated by a driving force in the French art scene Jean-Max Colard.

Cover facteurs cheveaux
1
“PREVIOUSLY WE WERE QUITE SAD.”
2
“We were focused on conceptual performance art and it became too intelligent and wordy.”
3
“SO WE’VE DECIDED TO QUIT MAKING CONCEPTUAL ART.”
4
“We wanted to do more simple things and create objects that have their own life.”
5
“OBJECTS THAT ARE COMPLETELY AUTONOMOUS AND FREE, THAT NEED NO EXPLANATION.”
6
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“Bonhomme sculptures don’t need any justification or discussion around them to be understood and loved by people.”
8
“A bonhomme is simply a representation, a summary or simplification of a man or woman. It just needs to be made in a way that calls to mind the human figure.”
9
“WE COULD SAY A BONHOMME IS A UNIVERSAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT A ‘HUMAN’ IS.”
10
“The 'bonhomme' has large existential implications. It's very simple: the more bonshommes, the more houses; the more houses, the more building blocks; the more building blocks, the more sand; the more sand, the more sand castles. And ultimately, eventually, the more graves. Logically.”
11
“Our goal is to make sure that all adults take over the production of bonshommes.”
12
“PRODUCING BONSHOMMES SHOULD NOT BE LEFT TO CHILDREN.”
13
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“The name Facteur Chevaux is derived from the naïve French artist, Facteur Cheval, who is well-known for collecting stones to build the Le Palais idéal in France.”
15
“Our duo is well balanced. We don't have any difficulty understanding each other. An energy is created that makes us more ambitious.”
16
“The goal of an artist is to convince people that what interests him or her is indeed interesting for all of us. But first: working in a duo, you have to convince the other.”
17
“ONCE YOU CONVINCE THE OTHER, THEN YOU CAN TRY CONVINCING THE REST OF THE WORLD.”