PIERRE SERNET


ABOUT THE WORK


Synonyms is the most recent body of works by Pierre Sernet. Women and men, alone or in couples, embracing or making love, have been photographed by the artist through scrims. What is rendered in the artworks is the flow of one body into the next through the fleeting forms of their shadows.

The artist selected subjects from various cultural or ethnic backgrounds to convey common denominators among people around the world. Each artwork's title hints to the subjects’ sex, cultural background, or nationality. As with a Rorschach test, what is perceived depends upon the mental disposition of the viewer and his or her cultural background.

The viewers are invited to discover the likeness of their own image and to realize their connection with mankind. Pierre conceived these works to be presented individually or in groups, to create a dance and a dialogue that recall the Greek black-figure vases and the late Matisse cut outs.