Frédéric Develay

Nationality and Birth Year: French | 1956
Occupation: Conceptual Artist
Styles: Conceptual Art, Visual Poetry
Location: Based in Manteigas, Portugal

"We are not immune to an idea."

Artist Statement

Frédéric Develay is a French artist (1956, Saint-Cloud) inspired by Fluxus, visual poetry and conceptual art, his mixed media works challenge conventional forms of artistic expression. Through his conceptual and visual approach, Frédéric deconstructs meaning, inviting the viewer to reconsider the relationships between language, perception, and societal constructs. Develay encourages us to confront the familiar with a fresh, critical gaze, pushing us to explore the hidden layers of language."

After studying philosophy, he published several collections of poetry and participated in various magazines. He created a recording studio dedicated to sound poetry and a group of performances and readings: “Manœuvres électriques et guérilla du verbe”. Then he developed a practice in the field of visual arts, in line with conceptual art and visual poetry. He invited many artists to participate in different projects: “Art Accès Revue”, “Séquences Apax collection”, “So”, “Le Centre du bout du monde”.

The artistic form is as multiple as the concepts: photos, videos, sculptures, canvases, interventions, books. The materials used are contemporary: plexiglass, neon, mirror, steel, zinc. Various integrations of techniques to amplify or divert the meaning: opacity or transparency, light and shadow, monochrome or polychrome.

Reflection on writing, the position of the artist, the relationship to work, to time, to the relationship to others. Shifting the gaze on our societies, the weight of images and words, the shift in everyday objects. Mirror of the soul, imposed figure, absence, questioning of encounters, in any case, spiritual research.

“In a line that begins with Duchamp and his puns, continuing with Bruce Nauman and his alternative neons, going from Poesia Visiva to conceptual art, Frédéric Develay favours readings whose meaning is as if suspended, deferred in such a way that the viewer’s imagination can slip in and linger there in total freedom. He lays bare language as an ars combinatoria of letters, graphemes, signs.” Giovanni Lista