Bòites d'allumettes brùlès 1974

Curator: So, what are your immediate thoughts on this piece? It’s titled "Bôites d'allumettes brûlées" by Bernard Aubertin, created in 1974. Literally translated: Boxes of Burnt Matches. Editor: It's visually striking – a somber, almost apocalyptic landscape compressed onto a grid. There’s an undeniable intensity. I'm wondering about the material: is it simply burnt matches, or something else too? Curator: Indeed, Aubertin has employed a mixed media approach, using both found objects and assemblage techniques to arrange and affix the used matchboxes to, presumably, the canvas. The burn marks speak to ephemeral time. Editor: Time, waste, and also this almost mechanical, repetitive… ritual maybe? Burning each one. Like some miniature industrialized bonfire. What symbolic role do you see fire playing here? Curator: Well, fire is a complex and potent symbol across cultures – representing destruction and renewal, passion and purification. Consider its role in alchemy – reduction to the essential. Editor: Reduction, that's a good word. And this links to 'matter painting,' doesn't it? I love how the texture takes over as the real subject... forget the pristine white cube, bring on the gritty reality of things. Anti-art, you said? Curator: Indeed. This work resonates with the conceptual art movement, challenging conventional notions of beauty and artistic skill. By using everyday, discarded objects, Aubertin invites us to reflect on the meaning of art. Editor: There's definitely a disruptive element—but there's also something calming about the neat grid. Like some orderly, post-catastrophe landscape. Curator: Precisely. It captures a fascinating interplay between chaos and order. The simple act of burning something as ubiquitous as a match transforms it into something altogether different, something resonant with complex meanings. Editor: It’s stayed with me—how he made a destructive act constructive in itself by immortalizing those little extinguished flames into a visual dialogue, no words needed. Curator: A rather transformative visual exploration—and I concur wholeheartedly. Thank you for joining me in discovering this fiery artistic moment.