A pioneer of Clermont street art, Keymi also produced more lasting works in his workshop. A selection of them, made on paper, is currently on display at the Galerie Christiane Vallé for a few more days.
20 years ago, the people of Clermont discovered Keymi's work in the streets of the Auvergne capital, then in the grip of construction work on the tram line. Along the construction site, large blocks of raw concrete served as temporary supports for the candelabra, but also for Keymi's works. In total, no less than 179 different motifs, figures, reptiles, fish, birds, insects… punctuated the route of what gradually became Line A.
Using wastelands and street furniture, whether temporary or not, was quite new at the time. What we were beginning to call street art remained little widespread, even if artists like Ernest Pignon-Ernest had laid the foundations in the 70s, before the development of the 80s, with Speedy Graphito, Blek le rat or Jérôme Mesnager.
Keymi became familiar with the Hip-Hop movement and street art in the 80s, thanks to the cult TV show H.I.P.H.O.P presented by Sidney. Subsequently, while he had trained in art history, he decided to move towards graffiti using the walls of urban space as supports. After creating his frescoes in the street, first clandestinely then during performances to “dramatize the act of painting”, he ended up returning to the studio and more traditional media.
The audacity and poetry of Keymi
Contemporary art and street art are precisely the hobby of David Chabannes who runs the Christiane Vallé gallery in Clermont. It is therefore not surprising to find works by Keymi on the walls of rue Marcombes. At the end of the year, you must hurry to visit Variationsone of the rare opportunities to see significant works by the artist brought together in one place. The selection explores the shapes, materials and colors that make up the sensitive and original universe of Keymi, via works pointing towards a “new and stimulating perspective on contemporary art, a universe where art becomes alchemy carried through audacity and poetry.” The artist explores various facets of creation, each work, produced on paper, being a dialogue between spontaneity and mastery.
Variations, works on paper by Keymi, Galerie Christiane Vallé, 15 rue Philippe Marcombes in Clermont until Saturday December 28, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
