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Tomás Libertíny: Carte Blanche

May 12, 2023

TLmag invited Tomás Libertíny to create a carte blanche portfolio for the A/W 2022 issue: TLmag38: Origin. In the magazine pages, he featured images of his bee sculptures alongside his own personal photographs to create an engaging juxtaposition of forms, textures, and inspirations. The following is an extract from the carte blanche.

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Text by Lise Coirier

With an approach as a researcher, as well as from an artistic, scientific and humanistic perspective, Tomáš Gabzdil Libertíny questions the decline of our civilisations from Antiquity to the present day. Referring to emblematic figures in the history of humanity such as Brutus, Nefertiti, Marsyas…, the creator-inventor examines the most delicate aspect of human nature, which could nevertheless be a source of strength and sustainability. Combining nature and technology in a dialogue between man and bees, he has designed iconic silhouettes and objects that only these hyper-talented insects have been able to co-create and construct, at a given time of the year when the hive comes alive, depending on the passage and state of the seasons and pollination. Thanks to this co-creation process “Made by Bees”, which seems supernatural to us, the artist has been able to reveal the innate beauty of nature as well as its fragility and impermanence. With this “dance of the bees”, Libertíny brings iconic characters to life before our eyes as if by miracle. The real heroes of this earthly epic, however, are the bees, who remind us that we are vulnerable and mortal beings. Thanks to their innate intelligence, supported by a highly organised community, they put our own existence on the line. There is a sense of tragedy here that leads to catharsis, to this outcome of no return. And yet Libertiny takes a subjective and sensitive look at the pages of this “carte blanche” where his message remains positive despite the ephemerality of being: he listens to the voice of origins as the very source of resilience. This is what the bees have been buzzing in his ear for nearly twenty years.

www.tomaslibertiny.com

@tomaslibertiny

www.spazionobile.com

@spazionobilegallery

www.rademakersgallery.com

@rademakersgallery

Hera, 2022, bust, 32 x 40 x 50 mm; cabinet, 100 x 100 x 60 cm. Photo courtesy of Studio Libertíny
Headless Year, 2022, photograph
Forest Goddess, 2021, beeswax, wood, acrylic, 24 x 36 x 50 cm. Photo courtesy of Studio Libertíny
Calamity Year, 2022, photograph
John The Baptist (a.k.a. Memento Vivo), 2022, natural beeswax, metal, wood, PA, ø 620 x 300 mm. Photo courtesy of Studio Libertíny, Private Collection
The Honeycomb Vase (RED), 2022, natural beeswax, wood, PA, 22 x 16 x 16 cm, Coll. Musée des Arts décoratifs / Palais de Louvre, Paris, France. Photo courtesy of Studio Libertíny
Golden light at the end, 2021, photograph
Marsyas, 2022, 59 x 59 x 205 cm, natural beeswax, steel, plaster. Photo courtesy of Studio Libertíny
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For TLmag38: Origins, Emanuele Quinz wrote about contemporary artists and designers who are using elements of the past to talk about issues of today.