The 2026 cultural season of the City was opened last Wednesday with a private preview visit of the exhibition P. Chappert-Gaujal at the contemporary art space until June 20.
Particularly cheerful, P. Chappert-Gaujal, an internationally renowned artist based in La Franqui and Fitou for his large formats, sculptures, etc., has embraced Lavoisier’s motto “Nothing is lost, everything is transformed.” Not surprising coming from a man who dreamt of being a scientist as a child, but his talent was elsewhere.
Decades later, having become a champion of upcycling (transforming objects without destroying them), he has created thousands of works, some small-scale, others monumental sculptures, some using paper with a preference for that of the magazine “Elle,” others using beachcombed materials like driftwood and plastic. Always on the lookout for what he can find, he extends the life of objects by preserving craftsmanship and energy, so that “all the work that was necessary does not disappear if it were to be recycled.”
Never short of ideas, as evidenced by the filled pages of his notebooks, he allows himself everything because “contemporary art is the last space of freedom in this world.”
Currently both a painter and sculptor, he invites visitors to the contemporary art space to discover around a hundred of his creations, including vertical pieces, reliefs, friezes on canvas, nautical charts, and porcelain series from China, artworks made of driftwood, round paintings, sculptures, and more. In total, a beautiful collection to explore all the aspects of his art and reflect on our “relationship with objects, consumption, and collective memory,” says Marie-Lou Lajus, assistant to the mayor, who is delighted to make contemporary art accessible to everyone through this exhibition. The opening will take place on Friday at 6:30 PM to allow the public to meet the artist and engage with his works.
