This multidisciplinary artist creates immersive settings that combine popular culture with identity issues. Whether through his sculptures, poems or everyday objects, he constructs visual narratives that play with scale and materials, and questions what it means to be a hero. To celebrate the unveiling of his collection of giant lollipops at Samaritaine, he sheds light on his artistic process, his relationship with sweet treats and childhood.

How would you define your art?

My work always starts with a narrative inspired by my own life, around which I then create objects, films or sculptures to tell stories. I like to work with forms by transforming them, changing the scale and reinterpreting materials, to evoke issues usually related to the body and desire. When I have an idea, I work with craftspeople to make it a reality. I'm riding that wave of being a beginner and I keep a novice approach, because the goal is not to teach myself new techniques, but to challenge myself and immerse myself in the craft.

What materials do you use and how do you use them?

For the lollipops being displayed at Samaritaine I used blown glass, metal and wood. I typically use a lot of different materials, but I also work with photography, sound and video. I have worked with textiles a lot, particularly textiles stuffed with cotton wool. It's a sturdy material but it can also be soft and fragile, like blown glass, which gives the material a certain vulnerability. I like that.

What inspires you and what messages do you hope to convey?

Most of the time it's people who inspire me, especially romantic encounters. Beyond that, there is a difference between what I want to say and the story my work actually tells. It's up to the audience's interpretation! Telling stories often reminds us of our childhoods, our family history — it brings these images flooding back that are shared experiences for everyone. When people see my creations, they often tell me about their own childhoods, and I love listening to those stories.

Could you tell us about how these giant lollipops, now on display at Samaritaine, were created?

The idea came from a teenage memory — from a boy who didn't want his parents to smell the cigarettes he'd been smoking, so who ate a lollipop before going home! I went to see some glass blowers; we created a mold from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and we blew the glass into it. We added sodium bicarbonate so air bubbles would form, to give it authenticity. I wanted a contrasting material for the lollipop stick, so I chose lacquered wood. The cabinetmaker I worked with added a huge amount of lacquer for a very smooth and glossy effect.

Why do you think they have been such a success?

These lollipops are oversized, so they're clearly intended for an adult rather than a child. You can touch them but you can't taste them. The effect of the blown glass is impressive, with the combination of materials, colors, transparency, in a round shape. There's something very nostalgic about them.

What's special about this Training part 7 project and the way it's displayed at Samaritaine?

For Samaritaine, I wanted my lollipops to be in a cage so that they were both within reach and unreachable. On the Rivoli side, 20 lollipops in different colors are spaced out at regular intervals on a large wall-mounted cage shelf. On the Jourdain side of the atrium, there's a stack of cages that forms a kind of tower, where the lollipops are locked away. It's also reminiscent of an enormous pile of gifts!

How do sweet treats inspire you?

Around the time I was told about this project for Samaritaine, I was being very careful with my diet, because I have very little self-control when it comes to sugar — so I had lost a lot of weight at that point. It meant I associated sweet things with the idea of deprivation, just like a candy jar being placed on a high shelf or a treat-filled cupboard that you're not allowed to open! Which only makes you crave them more, of course.

How do you see the art of French hospitality from your Swiss perspective?

It's very different in Switzerland, so there's something magical and inspiring about it! I think of art, banquets, still life paintings, hunting game, indulgence, silverware… it really fires the imagination!

What does Samaritaine represent for you?

I came to see the store when it reopened and I was impressed, especially by the glass roof, the fresco and the contrast between Art Deco and Art Nouveau. The craftmanship in the building is unmistakable. I think it's quite unique in Paris, these are stylistic elements that we see less and less. Its size, its architecture, the way it's laid out are all so charming — it makes it difficult to difficult to leave without buying something! I absolutely had to put the lollipops under the glass roof because above all, glass loves light, especially the harsh light in winter.

Training Part 7: Ground floor, Rivoli side
Training Part 7: The atrium, Pont-Neuf side