At the heart of artist Philippe Hiquily's work, the celebration of eroticism emerges with dazzling clarity, setting itself up as a veritable artistic statement.
The presence of sexuality is apparent from the very first moments of his daily work, when he interacts directly with the material. It is revealed in this intense struggle to shape the metal, to gain a deeper understanding of it and grasp the intrinsic nature of direct metal sculpture.
For Hiquily, metal itself becomes a medium onto which he projects sexual metaphors. Steel and iron embody a more pronounced 'virility' than brass. Metal, rebellious and untamable, demands to be "tamed", and when brass shines, the artist evokes the delicate feeling of "caressing a woman".
Meei-Meei
Brass
Unique piece
Height: 70 cm, Width: 45 cm
Hiquily explores the representation of women in a way that is both sublime and provocative. Every movement, every interaction becomes a sensual dance, a tactile exploration in which metal and artist merge in symbiosis.
Hiquily candidly reveals his intimate relationship with his artistic creations: "When I make a piece, I always have it in my hand, I press it against my stomach, I feel its heat, its vibrations, its resistance, I sometimes get burnt.
There is contact.There is mating."These words reveal a carnal connection between artist and material, a fusion where each creation becomes an expression of intimacy, an artistic union and a quasi-organic extension of her creative being.
elebrating feminine sensuality, the Hiquilyan woman is emancipated, free and autonomous.
She became a witness to her era of sexual emancipation.
One of Hiquily's emblematic works, "La Motocyclette," exhibited at the Salon de Mai in 1964 and later acquired by the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, embodies this vision.
The Motorcycle, 1964
Iron and motorcycle
Height: 200 cm, Width: 200 cm, Depth: 50 cm
Collection Fonds national d'art contemporain (FNAC)
When Hiquily gave a counterpart to the walking man, he gave us a voluptuous walking woman, powered by a discreet motor concealed in the base.
Left: L'Homme qui marche, 1958
Iron mobile and spindle-turner from the 18th century
Height: 215 cm
Private collection
Right: La Femme qui Marche, 1990
Polished brass, flexible and motor
Height: 128 cm, Width: 77.50 cm, Depth: 42 cm
Private collection
His work goes beyond the aesthetic, opening a window on what Alain Jouffroy called "erotic reality", which is not just an artistic exploration incorporating ready-mades, but also a celebration of sexual emancipation.