Alter ego

Gérald Ducimetière [John Aldus] (Geneva, 1940) 
Collection : Fonds d'art contemporain de la Ville de Genève (FMAC)

Spread over various spots on the Rond-point de Plainpalais, four bronze sculptures representing figures rendered in a hyperrealistic way blend with the crowd that animates this traffic intersection every day. All were inspired by the posture of figures pictured on postcards from different eras. Seated on a bench beside a newspaper stand, one can recognize André L’Huillier, and then across the street there is the effigy of Monique Barbier-Mueller, who is depicted standing, getting her wallet out of her handbag. These two eminent Genevan art collectors and patrons are accompanied by the figure of the writer and professor Michel Butor, placed further along waiting for a taxi, and by a fourth sculpture representing a young woman walking towards the Plaine de Plainpalais. Independently of their identity, these characters embody our alter egos. They are mirrors of ourselves whose presence is intended to make us reflect on the nature of time and space. The artist sees this set of sculptures as a complex installation that also includes the movements of passers-by and the space in which they circulate, as well as the ephemeral events and presences that transform this roundabout at every moment of day and night. The work of the painter, sculptor, photographer and multimedia artist John Aldus revolves around the role of art and artists in society. His reflections are rooted in a conceptual approach, by which he critically examines the values that govern us.
Article commissioned by P3Art
Notice: Séverine Fromaigeat, translation: Matthew Cunningham  

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