SERIES HARDY*
THE QUESTIONS ABOUT WORLD PEACE
I SERIOUSLY ASKED MYSELF: WHAT WOULD CREATE WORLD PEACE? IT SOUNDED BANAL, ALMOST EMBARRASSING—BUT IT REMAINED. I FOUND ANSWERS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, FORMED "WORLD PEACE?": POLITICAL, SPIRITUAL, MATHEMATICAL, RADICAL, UTOPIAN FRAGMENTS, EACH A CLAIM IN COLOR. BUT ONE ANSWER DEFIED ALL LOGIC: HARDY*—THE MOST PEACEFUL BEING ON EARTH. NOT A HUMAN, NOT A SYMBOL, NOT A FAIRY TALE. ONLY AN ANIMAL WHOSE EXISTENCE FUNCTIONS WITHOUT EGO, AS THE CARRIER OF AN IMPOSSIBLE IDEA: IF SOMEONE COULD GIVE EVERY PERSON A GOOD HEART, THERE WOULD BE PEACE. PERHAPS THAT IS WHY HARDY* IS THE MOST UTOPIC ANSWER ART CAN GIVE – BECAUSE IT BELIEVES IN SOMETHING THAT IS RATIONALLY IMPOSSIBLE: KINDNESS AS AN ACTION, NOT AS AN IDEA.
THE UTOPIST IN HYPERREAL SPACE I PLACE HARDY* IN METROPOLISES—IN THOSE PLACES WHERE WORLD HISTORY AND EVERYDAY LIFE COLLIDE. ON FIFTH AVENUE. IN FRONT OF THE TWIN TOWERS WHEN THEY STILL STOOD. BENEATH LONDON, TO THE RHYTHM OF THE METRO. IN THE LEGRANDREX IN PARIS, THAT TEMPLE OF GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT. ON ABBEY ROAD, WHERE FOUR MEN ONCE SANG A PEACE ANTHEM. PLACES GREATER THAN MEMORY ITSELF. THERE STANDS HARDY*, PEACEFUL, OUT OF PLACE, ALMOST TENDER. IN HER HAND, A HELIUM HEART, A GESTURE BOTH RIDICULOUS AND SACRED. THIS GESTURE IS PARADOXICAL—TOO LIGHT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, TOO HEAVY TO BE FORGOTTEN. HE GIVES THIS HEART TO PASSERSBY—NOT AS A PROMISE, BUT AS A QUESTION: DO YOU WANT A GOOD HEART TODAY?
BETWEEN GRAFFITI AND SILENCE HARDY* HIMSELF NEVER EXISTS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA: I DRAW HIM INTO THESE SPACES. I WORKED WITH STREET TOOLS—MARKERS, AEROSOL, TAGS, URBAN DRAWING MATERIALS, ALMOST NO BRUSHLESS, NO SMOOTHNESS. EVERY LINE IS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SPEED, OF REACTION, OF DIRECT GESTURE. URBAN SPACE IS MY STUDIO, THE WALL MY STAGE. I INTERVENE INTO REALITY WITHOUT DESTROYING IT. ON THE CANVAS, DOCUMENT AND INTERVENTION MELT TOGETHER—THE CITY REMAINS A CITY, BUT IT BREATHES DIFFERENTLY.
THE UTOPIAN ANSWER HARDY** IS JUST AN ANSWER—PERHAPS THE MOST UTOPIAN OF ALL. THE WORLDPEACE SERIES EXPLORES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS, BUT HARDY** REMAINS THE ABSURD, IDEALIST, PERHAPS EVEN THE LAST. HIS LOGIC IS POETIC: KINDNESS AS REVOLUTION. HE EXISTS AS THE CLAIM THAT PEACE DOES NOT COME FROM SYSTEMS, BUT FROM GESTURES—FROM THE ABILITY TO OFFER A HEART WITHOUT KNOWING FOR SURE IF IT WILL BE ACCEPTABLE. I SEE HARDY** AS THE MOST UNLIKELY, YET MOST IMPORTANT BEING IN MY WORK: PROOF THAT THE IMPOSSIBLE REMAINS NECESSARY IF HUMANITY IS TO SURVIVE.
THE UTOPIST IN HYPERREAL SPACE I PLACE HARDY* IN METROPOLISES—IN THOSE PLACES WHERE WORLD HISTORY AND EVERYDAY LIFE COLLIDE. ON FIFTH AVENUE. IN FRONT OF THE TWIN TOWERS WHEN THEY STILL STOOD. BENEATH LONDON, TO THE RHYTHM OF THE METRO. IN THE LEGRANDREX IN PARIS, THAT TEMPLE OF GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT. ON ABBEY ROAD, WHERE FOUR MEN ONCE SANG A PEACE ANTHEM. PLACES GREATER THAN MEMORY ITSELF. THERE STANDS HARDY*, PEACEFUL, OUT OF PLACE, ALMOST TENDER. IN HER HAND, A HELIUM HEART, A GESTURE BOTH RIDICULOUS AND SACRED. THIS GESTURE IS PARADOXICAL—TOO LIGHT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, TOO HEAVY TO BE FORGOTTEN. HE GIVES THIS HEART TO PASSERSBY—NOT AS A PROMISE, BUT AS A QUESTION: DO YOU WANT A GOOD HEART TODAY?
BETWEEN GRAFFITI AND SILENCE HARDY* HIMSELF NEVER EXISTS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA: I DRAW HIM INTO THESE SPACES. I WORKED WITH STREET TOOLS—MARKERS, AEROSOL, TAGS, URBAN DRAWING MATERIALS, ALMOST NO BRUSHLESS, NO SMOOTHNESS. EVERY LINE IS AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SPEED, OF REACTION, OF DIRECT GESTURE. URBAN SPACE IS MY STUDIO, THE WALL MY STAGE. I INTERVENE INTO REALITY WITHOUT DESTROYING IT. ON THE CANVAS, DOCUMENT AND INTERVENTION MELT TOGETHER—THE CITY REMAINS A CITY, BUT IT BREATHES DIFFERENTLY.
THE UTOPIAN ANSWER HARDY** IS JUST AN ANSWER—PERHAPS THE MOST UTOPIAN OF ALL. THE WORLDPEACE SERIES EXPLORES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS, BUT HARDY** REMAINS THE ABSURD, IDEALIST, PERHAPS EVEN THE LAST. HIS LOGIC IS POETIC: KINDNESS AS REVOLUTION. HE EXISTS AS THE CLAIM THAT PEACE DOES NOT COME FROM SYSTEMS, BUT FROM GESTURES—FROM THE ABILITY TO OFFER A HEART WITHOUT KNOWING FOR SURE IF IT WILL BE ACCEPTABLE. I SEE HARDY** AS THE MOST UNLIKELY, YET MOST IMPORTANT BEING IN MY WORK: PROOF THAT THE IMPOSSIBLE REMAINS NECESSARY IF HUMANITY IS TO SURVIVE.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
STATUS: AVAILABLE ASSET
SERIES: HARDY* | OPEN ICONOGRAPHY SERIES
EDITION: DUAL-SCALE UNIQUE (1 OF 2)
AVAILABILITY: 1/2 IMMEDIATE (60 X 60 CM | INTEGRATED NEON EDGE) | 2/2 ON COMMISSION (CUSTOM SCALES)
TYPE: UNIQUE WORK | ARCHIVAL ACRYLIC ON CANVAS | DUAL FRAME-SETTING OPTION | 4.5 CM - 1.77 INCH PRECISION EDGE OR 3.4 CM - 1.34 INCH SHADOW GAP FRAME
SCALE OPTIONS
STUDIO SCALE: 60 x 60 x 4,5 CM | 23.62 x 23.62 x 1.77 INCH | AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY
ARCHITECTURAL SCALE: CUSTOM DIMENSIONS (E.G. 200 X 200 CM) | ON COMMISSION
WEIGHT: APPROX. 1.0 KG - 6.5 KG (DEPENDING ON SCALE & FRAME-SETTING)
MEDIUM: ARCHIVAL GRADE ACRYLIC, HIGH-DENSITY PIGMENTS (MOLOTOW)
FRAME-SETTING OPTIONS:
OPTION A: NEON PERFORMANCE | INTEGRATED NEON EDGE | PIGMENTED SIDE WALLS (MOLOTOW 402)
OPTION B: NEON PERFORMANCE | NEON SHADOW GAP | PROFESSIONAL FRAME (MOLOTOW 402)
FINISH: UV-LATENT ARCHIVAL VARNISH (MOLOTOW)
MOUNTING: INTEGRATED HEAVY-DUTY REAR SUSPENSION FOR FLUSH ARCHITECTURAL MOUNTING
AUTHENTICITY: SIGNED ON REVERSE. INCLUDES PHYSICAL CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY (COA)
SHIPPING: FULLY INSURED EXPRESS SHIPPING WORLDWIDE
PACKAGING: CUSTOM WOOD CRATING FOR MAXIMUM PROTECTION OF THE PRECISION EDGE
LEAD TIME:
INTEGRATED NEON EDGE (UP TO 150 CM): 7 BUSINESS DAYS
NEON SHADOW GAP (UP TO 150 CM): 14 BUSINESS DAYS
LARGE SCALES (> 150 CM): UPON REQUEST / INDIVIDUAL SCHEDULE
