Our shadows waiting for the night

Christian Lapie, by erecting these tree trunks, makes imposing figures appear. Presented in a group or as a couple, these figures suddenly impose themselves on the spectator in places that the artist takes into account a great deal. In Mulhouse, we find these giants on each side of the street, there are five figures in all who dialogue face to face. These sculptures are positioned there, like totemic, monumental figures. A human figure appears thanks to the small head at the top. However, when you approach it, you see that it is a sculpture without age, without face, without members, of all nations, all cultures, without race. Here we find the will to build a universal dialogue, addressing everyone. The souls that the artist creates can evoke something different to everyone, while keeping in mind the metaphorical figure of being. Some speak of manifest brutality in the face of these mute, distant, ghost-like colossuses; others see them more as guardians, protective figures who guard and watch over the place. The link with nature is very present in this work with the use of wood but also by this idea of both the rooting of the trunk in the earth and the elevation towards the sky, like the surrounding trees.