art and graphic design by Elza Lacotte

ART AND GRAPHIC DESIGN ON THE ROAD TO THE SILVERY ZEF Elza Lacotte Artist and silk-screen printer 2012

SUMMARY ARTISTIC INTENTION

P. 4 - 5

CURRICULUM VITAE

P. 6 - 7

SILK-SCREEN PRINTINGS

P. 8 - 23

DRAWINGS

P. 24 - 31

GRAPHIC DESIGN

P. 32 - 41

PUBLI SHINGS - AR TIST BOOK

P. 42 - 57

COLLECTIVES EXHIBITIONS & RESIDENCY

P. 58 - 65

CONTACT

P. 66 - 67

ARTISTIC INTENTION I studied at Fine Arts of Rennes and obtained the DNAT (equal to three years studies at fine arts school) in 2007. Three years later, I got the DNSEP (five years degree, equal to master 1) with honours at the European school of visual arts of Poitiers in 2009. Since, I am working as graphic designer, silkscreen printer and artist in Volvic (France). I’m interested in mapping and literature. My referent books are Moby Dick written by Herman Melville and L’usage du monde /// The way of the world written by Nicolas Bouvier, L’Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho, Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad, Le Grand Meaulnes /// The Wanderer or The End of Youth written by Alain Fournier. The subjects of these books are explorers, tramps, travellers, scientists, dreamers, sportsmen. Their main idea is going forward, still more and more forward. They are motivated by the will to discover better situation or better place than the current one is. It’s all about the human quest to flee a lack, a hole... Even if the aim of the quest is absurd, one can seek it with endless hope. The result of the quest is not important. The most important is the fact of exploring. Many artists wish make travel a spectator who is looking at their work. A viewer is invited to wander in a different world. It’s a kind of immobile travel. A new fantastic travel is created by the viewer. The spectators imagine the path, the way to follow as if they were in a labyrinth. Mostly, the artists have lived physically or psychologically the feelings of the road they offer to take. In my opinion, an artist should have lived by him/her-self a strong experience to be able to tell, to show it later to the others. In my case, I have to see the subject I want to draw. Whereas at the end, the drawing has nothing to do with reality. The artist should live that what he/she wants to show, to put down. However, some of them use the extraordinary witness of other people.

Oscar Wilde in his book The picture of Dorian Gray, talks about the existence of two kind of poets. The first one is a real genius writing incredible poems. But he is a boring person with an empty life, because all his thoughts and ideas are concentrated in his great work. The second poet is average one, without fabulous work but with such a surprising life! He is not able to write as he would like to, so he keeps all the treasure of his mind in him-self. Therefore, his life becomes the most beautiful of poetry. I think that travels and adventures are important for our life. We should take the time to get lost, to be somewhere by chance, to follow a path without any apparent reason, to let us rock by the music of the world. Like the psycho-geography of Guy Debord. The poet constructs his stories with the experiences of travelling. He is inspired by different trips throughout his life. That way of life preserves the curiosity and keeps us open-minded... Eyes wild open on the landscape. Once the journey is finished, an artist comes back to his studio and as the first poet of Oscar Wilde, gets all his fresh experiences into his art work. The precious things and thoughts from travel are similar to the precious objets of Pierre Loti. These treasures are usually the heart of the new art work. The reality witch has be seen and lived by an artist is suddenly mystified. At the beginning, the man was a nomad. The primary instinct of movement is printed in us. So it allows a human to do an imaginary travel to many different fantastic worlds. The artists use this memory and define the frame of action, show the path to take.

CURRICULUM VITAE COMING • Collective exhibition at the PLASTICIENS DU PUY DE DÔME Clermont-Fd (63 - France) | March to April 2012 • Workshop of silk-screen printing for the Festival PLAISIR DE LIRE Valuéjols (15 - France) | April 2012 • Workshop of silk-screen printing with autistics children | Riom (63 - France) | June 2012 • Demonstrations of silk-screen printing | Égletons (19 - France) | June 2012 • Personnal exhibition at the G Gallery La Garde (83 - France) | September and October 2012

GRAPHIC DESIGN • Graphic designer for the communication agency CITÉS PLUME Lyon (France)| November 2010 to May 2011 + free-lance untill now • Communication agent for MIR CARAVAN 2010 event Clermont-Ferrand (63 - France), Namur (Belgium) and Moscow (Russia) | April to October 2010 • Graphic designer free-lance | 2010 - 2011 CUSTOMERS : Agency ˇCités Plumeˇ (Lyon), association ˇLaafi Balaˇ (Poiters), association ˇLes Petits Débrouillards d’Auvergneˇ (Clermont-Ferrand), «la Fête de la Science Itinérante» (Auvergne), festival of traditionnal music ˇOn connaît la chansonˇ (Riom), L’Institut Free Afrique and the broadcast Les clefs de l’économie (Burkina Faso), association ˇLa Cimadeˇ (Auvergne), museum ˇLa Maison du Louvetierˇ (Puy de Dôme), art publishing company ˇLa Trameˇ (Brussels), Art Center ˇLe Confort Moderneˇ (Poitiers), Festival ˇLe Souffle de l’Équinoxeˇ (Poitiers)...

• Graphic designer for the communication agency TURBULENCES Clermont-Ferrand (63 - France) | Dicember 2009 and January 2010 • Workshops and publishings projects with Éric Duyckaerts, Éric Watier,

Thorsten Baensch (Editions Bartleby & co) Conception of three editorials works L’Idiote n°1 , L’Idiote n°2, L’Idiote n°3 Angoulême (16 - France) | Dicember 2008, March and May 2009

• Graphic designer for La Fabrique d’Image of Olivier Darné (intership) Saint-Denis (93 - France) | February to May and July 2008 • Graphic designer for the publishing company La Galipote (intership) Clermont-Ferrand (63 - France) | September 2007

SILK-SCREEN PRINTING • Workshops in 7 elementaries schools and demonstrations of silk-screen printings Ambert (63 - France) | January, march and may 2012 • Silk-screen workshop for kids Pac’Bô (Association of Land Art) | Dignac (16 - France) | 18th to 22nd of July 2011 • Silk-screen printer at Jean Villevieille’s art studio (intership and puctual activity) Saint-Étienne (42 - France) | September 2008, November 2009 and February 2010

ANIMATION • Realisation of a comic short film (teamwork) | Projected to the International Festival of the comics movies in Annecy, at «Temps d’Images» festival in Paris (La Villette) and at the short films festivals in La Rochelle | Poitiers (86 - France) | October to January 2008

EXHIBITIONS | PUBLISHINGS • Collective exhibition for the INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL Clermont-Fd (63 - France) | 5th february to 12th march 2012 • Collective exhibition for the Autom fair with the ACADÉMIE DES BANLIEUES Paris (75 - France) | 12nd to 16th october 2011 • Collective exhibition at Françoise Pélardy’s art studio | Mansle (16 - France) | July 2011 • Collective exhibition L’Art s’emporte with the ARTHOTÈQUE OF POITIERS Library François Mitterand - Poitiers (86 - France) | From 5th May to 2nd July 2011 • Collective exhibition for the date of youth artists | La Garde (83 - France) | May 2011 • Acquisition of four silk screen printings by the ARTHOTÈQUE OF POITIERS Poitiers (86 - France) | September 2010 • Collective exhibition at LA MAISON DU LOUVETIER | Saurier (63 - France) | Summer 2010 • Collaboration with the french museum Le Grand Palais Paris (75 - France) | From 16th to18th April 2010 | Drawing for the exhibition book + appointment as artists’ book ‘s expert with seven artists and critics for the first artists’ book fair.

• Collective exhibition of silk-screen printings at BERNARD CEYSSON’S GALLERY Saint-Étienne (42 - France) | Dicember 2009 to March 2010 • Collective exhibition at the art center LE CONFORT MODERNE Poitiers (86 - France) | June 2009 • Publishing and creation of a book about the contemporary printing 1000 copies distributed and shown at the print fair in Madrid Angoulême (16 - France) and Vigo (Spain) | May 2009

• Participation at the SMALL PUBLISHER’S FAIR | Londres | November 2008 • Collective exhibition at the festival LE SOUFFLE DE L’ÉQUINOXE Poitiers ( 86 - France) | March 2008

RESIDENCY • Residency of two months and personal exhibition at the Bief Ambert (63 - France) | January, march and may 2012

GRANTS - AWARDS • Grant for a travelling studio of silk-screen printing | Volvic | June 2011 • Grant for a graphic studio by the DRAC | Volvic | August 2010

SILK-SREEN PRINTINGS

L’ÎLE BLANCHE DE L’ALÉA “L’île blanche de l’Aléa /// White island of Aléa is the work of the series L’Archipel du Zef. It deals about an absence, an abandon, a deficiency. This series includes imaginaries maps. Every map shows a diverse world a place I fixed on paper, witch offers to the viewer an imaginary peregrination, invites him or her to look for something witch has been lost.

//////////// L’ÎLE BLANCHE DE L’ ALÉA Serial L’ ARCHIPEL DU ZEF Silk-screen printing printed by myself in the Jean Villevieille’s studio Saint-Étienne - France | November 2009 | 30 copies | 50 x 65 cm

L’ÎLE DES ATTRAPE-RÊVES L’île des Attrape-rêves /// Catch-dream island is next work of the series of L’Archipel du Zef. It represents nightmares witch were hooked above the bed of dreamer by dreamcatcher. Dream-catcher is an object coming from North America and Indian tribes. It symbolizes mostly a sharks, a peacock, a fire, a hunting and so on. These symbols should protect us from our asleep-bad intentions.

//////////// L’ÎLE DES ATTRAPE-RÊVES Serial L’ ARCHIPEL DU ZEF Silk-screen printing printed by myself in the Jean Villevieille’s studio Saint-Étienne - France | Dicembrer 2009 | 30 copies | 50 x 65 cm

L’INCURSION DE L’ACCOMPLI L’incursion de l’accompli /// The raid of achievement and La Map Louze /// The map of looser are last series of L’Archipel du Zef /// Archipelago of Zef. L’incursion de l’accompli /// The raid of achievement represents the way how to get into the professional life. Every professional step from the end of the school through recruitment office until the professional contract is defined by the play on words. The spectator is for sure in one of these positions. Thus, he or she can find his/her-own position. La Map Louze /// The map of looser is the map of looser as it is announced by the title. The represented place on paper is a metaphor of failure. That island is the image of disastrous universe.

//////////// L’INCURSION DE L’ ACCOMPLI Serial L’ ARCHIPEL DU ZEF Silk-screen printing printed by myself in the Jean Villevieille’s studio Saint-Étienne - France | Dicembre 2009 | 30 copies | 40 x 50 cm

LA MAP LOUZE

//////////// LA MAP LOUZE Serial L’ ARCHIPEL DU ZEF Silk-screen printing printed by myself in the Jean Villevieille’s studio Saint-Étienne - France | January 2010 | 30 copies | 50 x 65 cm

L'ÎLE PLOUTOCRATE DU PÈZE

//////////// L'ÎLE PLOUTOCRATE DU PÈZE Serial L’ ARCHIPEL DU ZEF Silk-screen printing printed by myself during an art residency Ambert - France | January 2012 | 30 copies | 50 x 65 cm

LES ZEPPELINS Les Zeppelins /// Airships That series on progress reveals the flying objects inspired from animals. These strange airships invite the spectators for a trip and offer them a free place to entrty, still by fantasy. For instance an empty basket fixed on hot-air balloon made from elephants or a kind of bridge attached to a flying whale. The airships are the main transport among the maps.

//////////// L’ AÉRONEF GLOBICÉPHALE Sérial LES ZEPPELINS Silk-screen printing printed in my studio Volvic - France | May 2011 | 50 x 65 cm

LES VOLTIGEURS

//////////// LES VOLTIGEURS Serial LES ZEPPELINS Silk-screen printing printed by myself in the Jean Villevieille’s studio Saint-Étienne - France | February 2010 | 30 copies | 50 x 65 cm

LE LANDBUSTINE Le Landbustine /// Landbuscampi Le Cyclomerle /// Blackbirdcycle

//////////// LE LANDBUSTINE SĂŠrial LES ZEPPELINS Silk-screen printing printed by myself during an art residency Ambert - France | January 2012 | 30 copies | 50 x 65 cm

LE CYCLOMERLE

//////////// LE CYCLOMERLE Serial LES ZEPPELINS Silk-screen printing printed by myself during an art residency Ambert - France | January 2012 | 30 copies | 50 x 65 cm

//////////// LES MESSAGÈRES Serial LES ZÉLATEURS Silk-screen printing | Volvic - France May 2011 | 1 copy | 100 x 70 cm

REVO This independent series of five pictures deals with dreams. It represents step by step a different points of dreaming: The first picture shows the negative dreams – those witch finish by eating us. The second one represents lost dreams. The third one – passive, inert dreams. The fourth – almost done dreams. The last one – executed dreams. Each dream appears on picture as different aquatic animal. It is difficult to meet these animals in reality like to realize a dream. However, this two kinds of meeting are difficult to do and rare... At the top of each picture, I wrote, in Esperanto, two key words composed by the word “dream” and an adjective. This should help the spectators to find the sense of the screen prints. For me, the language of the animal can be understood by every body. I choose marine animals to figure the dreams and to complete their universal language, I wrote the key words in Esperanto. These five drawings were realised with pencil and silkscreen print.

//////////// REVO 4 of the 5 drawings of the serial Silk-screen printing and drawing | Volvic - France August 2011 | 1 copy of each | 50 x 70 cm

DRAWINGS

//////////// ON THE SILVER ROAD TO ZEF Drawings realised during an art residency Ambert - France | January 2012 | 100 x 65 cm

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MIR CARAVAN 2010

//////////// MIR CARVAN 2010 Communication for a travelling theater festival in English and French November 2010 | 200 copies | A5 size

INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR THE RAPPROCHEMENT OF CULTURES

//////////// INTERNATIONAL YEAR FOR THE RAPPROCHEMENT OF CULTURES Communication an UNESCO event (not selected) March 2010

//////////// REGGAE DUB CONCERT February 2011 | 200 copies | A1 size

LA MAISON DU LOUVETIER

//////////// LA MAISON DU LOUVETIER Poster for a museum November 2010 | A3 size

//////////// GUIDE DE L'APPRENTISSAGE Communication for an advertising agency January 2010 | A5 size

FÊTE DE LA SCIENCE ITINÉRANTE

//////////// LA MAISON DU LOUVETIER Poster for a sciences travelling Festival November 2010 | A3 size

Sans titre-1 1

09/12/2009 19:23:52

//////////// DESTINATION HIMALAYA Drawing for a graphic contest November 2009 | A5 size

PUBLISHINGS ARTIST BOOK 43

ZOOTOMIE Before making this publishing work (TSCB and Viatiques) I made a publishing box of 10 booklets Zootomie. This project presents a text work, with the spirit of Oulipo (French artist group using the French language as a game in their work). Each story of each book is built with words beginning by the same letters. As a result, absurd human stories and insectsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;pictures mix to give a book filled with strange worlds.

//////////// ZOOTOMIE Poitiers (86) - France | May 2007 Box and 10 booklets | 135 x 170 mm | 6 copies

VIATIQUES Read beforehand, Viatiques provides the reader with all the information he needs to take this big static TSCB project journey

ÂŠ Danka Hojcusova

Viatiques is a deed box containing five booklets. They are artistic or literary supplies to be carried all the way as witnesses of this long static journey to come. Six copies were done, entirely handcrafted.

//////////// VIATIQUES Poitiers (86) - France | May 2009 Box and 5 booklets | 140 x 175 mm | 45 pages | six copies

TSCB TSCB means “Travail sous contrainte biologique” (Work under Biological Constraint). It is a story and also a deed box. Inside it, fourteen pieces are the chapters of this story. The TSCB story: I’m working on insects, they are my research subject. Although, come winter, my research subject goes to sleep underground. In order to escape this constraint, I went to the local petshop to buy some weevils. Weevils are the larvae of a common beetle. I set them up in my flat and waited for their metamorphosis. Which never happened. I then went trekking outside in order to meet some active insects. I went more and more to the south. This absurd quest took me to Gibraltar. The TSCB fourteen booklets (and movies) tell the story of this quest. TSCB story concludes at the southernmost point of Europe. TSCB booklets are as many chapters which are part of the same reading. But they also are autonomous, and exist individually. This project was made from October 2008 to June 2009. The fourteen pieces : RAS (short film), Sopor (booklet with photos), Sur l’asphalte (booklet with photos printed on silk paper), Attention, les feuilles sont mobiles (booklet printed with engraving), Chemin de la grotte à Calvin (booklet with drawing / japanese bindingbook), Memoranda pilonidal (booklet with text printed on scale paper), Le nombril du monde (audio recording), Le kit ornicar (booklet), L’île de l’aléa (map), 22h09 (short film), La ligne jaune (booklet with Polaroïd photos, El sur (bookletposter), W.H. (digital book published on Issuu), La coda australe (booklet with japanese binding-book).

//////////// TSCB Poitiers (86) - France | October 2008 to June 2009 Box : 320 x 240 mm | 2 copies

SUR Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ASPHALTE This book is made with numerics photos of an insect (dragonfly) printed on silk paper to render the fragility of the subject proposed in the book.

//////////// SUR Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ASPHALTE Publishing of TSCB project Poitiers (86) - France | November 2008 210 x 150 mm | 40 pages | 2 copies | digital print on silk paper

LE KIT ORNICAR The Ornicarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kit is a questioning kit to be dispersed throughout the city. It is composed of illustrations and numeric photographs.

//////////// LE KIT ORNICAR Publishing of TSCB project Poitiers (86) - France | February 2009 210 x 150 mm | 25 pages | digital print | 2 copies

LE CHEMIN DE LA GROTTE À CALVIN This book is constucted in two parts. The first part is only composed of black ink illustrations, and the second one is made of texts. The choice was to separate these two elements which usually go together. During my quest, I coincidentally found the insects’ garden. There was a great big rusty portal, locked. The Le chemin de la grotte à Calvin book recounts this story.

//////////// LE CHEMIN DE LA GROTTE À CALVIN Publishing of TSCB project Poitiers (86) - France | November 2008 90 x 125 mm | 48 pages | digital print | 2 copies japonese book-binding

LA CODA AUSTRALE This book is composed of a paper knife/folder, which allows the reader to unstaple its last pages. Those last pages being bound upside down, the reader has the choice to read the coda or not. La coda Australe is the last TSCB piece.

//////////// LA CODA AUSTRALE Publishing of TSCB project Poitiers (86) - France | May 2009 100 x 140 mm | 48 pages | digital print | 2 copies japonese book-binding and paper knife

RECETTES D’ARTISTES II also took part in several workshops or collective works, aiming to edit a collective book, Recettes d’artistes (artists’ recipes). This project was initiated by Jessica Garcia.

//////////// RECETTES D’ARTISTES

Saint-Étienne (42) - France | collective publishing | Spring 2010 box : 300 x 300 mm | silk-screen printing | 1 copy 52

MEMORANDA COLOMB Publishing and creation of a book about the contemporary printing (teamwork in Angoulême and in Vigo - Spain), diffused at 1000 copies and showed at the print fair in Madrid .

L’IDIOTE # 2 With Eric Watier, we’ve made a book about how to tell a story.

//////////// L’IDIOTE #2

À PLAT, BIEN CUIT, BAIN MARIE With Thorsten Baensch (Editions Bartleby & co) we’ve made 3 books about cooking.

REFERENT As a young graduate, I’ve been nominated expert in artist’s books at the first “salon du livre d’artiste”, taking place in the Grand Palais museum in Paris and organised by the Culture’s ministry. I’ve made one picture for the exhibition’s book.

//////////// ARTISTS BOOK’S FAIR

Museum Le Grand Palais - Paris - France 15,16, 17 april 2009

Courrier reçu du ministère de la Culture et de la Communication à destination des étudiants. ________________ Le Salon international du livre ancien, de l’estampe et du dessin se tiendra au Grand Palais, à Paris, du 16 au 18 avril 2010, vernissage le 15 avril. Pour la première fois, le réseau des 58 écoles d’art y disposera d’un espace. Nous souhaitons y montrer la vitalité et la diversité de l’activité des étudiants dans le champ de l’édition. Le thème choisi pour cette première participation du réseau est délibérément interrogatif : « Qu’est-ce qu’une publication d’artiste(s) ? » Si cette perspective vous intéresse, merci de bien vouloir nous faire parvenir avant le mardi 6 avril 2010 votre sélection d’affiches, livres, cartes postales, etc., réalisés sur support papier par vos étudiants et/ou vos diplômés. Un groupe de spécialistes se réunira afin d’organiser l’exposition de ces travaux sur le stand du réseau des écoles. - Marie Boivent, doctorante, chercheur sur les revues d’artistes - Yves Chaudouët, artiste, enseignant, EESI - Christophe Daviet-Thery, libraire - Elza Lacotte, DNSEP 2009, mention TB, félicitations du jury - Jérôme Saint-Loubert-Bié, artiste, enseignant, école des Beaux-arts de Rennes - Stephen Wright, professeur d’histoire et philosophie des arts, EESI

Qu’est-ce qu’une publication d’artiste(s)? Ces dernières années ont vu l’émergence d’une profusion de publications d’étudiants et d’anciens étudiants diplômés du réseau de 58 écoles supérieures d’art sous tutelle pédagogique du ministère de la Culture et de la Communication. De format, support et de conception très variés, souvent caractérisées par une grande économie de moyens, elles soulèvent la question du devenir de la publication d’artiste. Le Salon international du livre ancien, de l’estampe et du dessin est un prestigieux vecteur d’exposition, offrant une visibilité à cette production. La thématique interrogative choisie, en ne faisant pas apparaître la notion du seul « livre d’artiste », souligne que la définition même de la publication d’artiste reste – ou devient – ouverte, restreinte par la seule exigence de « rendre public ». Si le livre demeure un support privilégié, il n’est plus le seul : une conférence peut-elle constituer une publication d’artiste ? une performance ? une édition de cartes postales ? Dans sa diversité, cette exposition de la production des écoles supérieures d’art reflète les exigences de la recherche qui y est à l’œuvre. Livres, affiches, cartes postales, etc., conçus par les étudiants des écoles d’art sont disposés sur de simples tables. Le public peut consulter librement les éditions et demander des précisions sur les conditions et le lieu de leur réalisation. A côté de ce large échantillon de publications, afin d’approfondir une appréciation critique du phénomène et d’attirer plus d’attention sur cette production dynamique, une table ronde réunit les membres du groupe de spécialistes du livre d’artistes contemporain.

Yves Chaudouët / Stephen Wright

Les étudiants intéressés sont priés de se manifester à l’atelier Edition (liste à remplir). Réunion d’information à l’atelier Edition le mercredi 10 mars à midi.

COLLECTIVES EXHIBITIONS RESIDENCY 59

EXHIBITIONS I‘ve got a diploma of art and graphic design from the European school of visual art. I then made several exhibitions. The first exhibition was in Saint-Etienne at Bernard Ceysson’s gallery with famous artists : Erró, Viallat, Petit, Le Gac… in december 2010. Then, I took part in an exhibition at La Maison du Louvetier (Saurier - 63), from June to September 2010. The Artothèque of Poitiers bought all the silk-screen printings of the serial L’Arsenal du Zef and showed it during an exhibition in the library of Poitiers.

//////////// MUSEUM - LA MAISON DU LOUVETIER

Saurier (63) - France Colective exhibition | June to September 2010 60

//////////// BERNARD CEYSSON’S GALLERY

Saint-Étienne (42) - France Collective exhibition in Dicember 2009 61

//////////// EXHIBITION OF THE ARTHOTÈQUE

Poitiers (86) - France Collective exhibition | From 5th May to 2nd July 2011 62

//////////// EXHIBITION OF THE ARTHOTÈQUE

Poitiers (86) - France Collective exhibition | From 5th May to 2nd July 2011 63

RESIDENCY

//////////// RESIDENCY IN THE SCHOOL OF SAINT-JOSEPH

Ambert (63) - France Creation of silk-screen printings | January, march and may 2012 64

//////////// RESIDENCY IN THE SCHOOL OF SAINT-JOSEPH

Ambert (63) - France Workshop of silk-screen printings and drawings | January, march and may 2012 65

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Special thank to Danka Hojcusova.

ÂŠ Danka Hojcusova

CONTACT

ELZA LACOTTE 32, rue Raynaud 63 000 Clermont-Ferrand France elzalacotte@gmail.com + 00 33 6 73 97 69 37