Arne Quinze news Vol. 1 / 2020

"Since I was very young, I have travelled around the globe. To me, exploration was as vital as food. First, I explored my parent’s house. Then, the garden, then the woods near our village. When I was older, my parents moved to Brussels, an episode that had a huge impact on me. I remember feeling incredibly disappointed when I discovered the “big world”, and my dreams of cities as fantastic hubs of diversity were instantly shattered. I wanted Star Wars but instead, I got grey walls and monotony. This let-down encouraged me to go out and explore further afield. I was determined to find that magical place that existed only in my mind. I only remember the young me as being filled with excitement at the thought of travelling. I got addicted to discovering new places, cities, environments, mountains, rivers, buildings, etc. I became a nomad.

Growing up, I realised that I would never find that fantastic world that rushed through my mind and that was only a figment of my imagination. This frustration prompted my urge to change my environment, our environments. What I had in mind didn’t seem that impossible to me. I wanted to show everyone that there were so many more opportunities in our cities. I started adding colour. First to the grey walls of my city, later with installations.

After each intervention, I always felt intensely curious. I started sneaking back amid the spectators to see and to listen to their responses. It was like a social experiment. Some people hated it and saw my creations as forms of vandalism while others loved it. But what struck me most was that I unleashed a dialogue. People who would normally pass by one another started speaking amongst themselves, eager to express their feelings. And this creation of dialogue became my life purpose.

For over a decade, I explored cities. I remember setting myself the challenge to visit all the biggest cities in the world. Like a restless researcher, I investigated city life and fed my findings to my art.

These outings often drew me out of cities, thrusting me into nature. But the more I visited nature, the more I started to focus on the details that were at play. I started to notice its perfection. The balance in nature is phenomenal. Everything serves a specific function. Throughout the seasons, the game between life and death plays a perfect symphony. And I got addicted to beholding this spectacle."

Amazonia

"The Amazonia sculpture is recognised as a very expressive sketch of the monumental energy that throbs deep within me while I’m in the jungle. It is a direct, visual articulating of my sensory experiences of wandering through the jungle, the feeling of energy leaving your body, suddenly replaced by a brutal natural force with colour, scent and movement. Magic, amplified by adrenalin. It’s the most powerful image I hold deep inside me, and I want it to contrast with our urban environments as much as possible.

I’d like to thank the Creutz family in the first place, for inviting me to create the Amazonia light sculpture and for their unconditional support for so many years. They have given me the absolute freedom to create, to make my fantasy reality, again and again. Thanks to them I can now present you this news bulletin. I also want to thank my fantastic gallery, Maruani Mercier, which I introduce to you inside the newspaper. I’m proud to be one of the artists they represent. I sincerely want to thank Michel Dessolain, Viparis and Artbliss Paris, who made everything possible to introduce my first permanent sculpture in Paris. Not least, I’m thankful to all museums, collectors, and companies I have worked with in the past.

And I’d like to thank you for reading this. Enjoy this bundle of pictures, sketches, thoughts and inspiration. This is my world and I hope to hear from yours soon!"