When the town of Andenne, Belgium asked me to create a sculpture featuring Le Cat to adorn one of the public squares, the news was doubly gratifying: firstly, for a creator, it’s always a pleasure to invent something new, and secondly, the sale of a monumental sculpture helps to raise funds for the future Le Cat and Cartoon Museum.
The Local Council told me that they’ve got a soft spot on this model, so I took my inspiration from “Sur le fil”. (The Cat is holding the rope, his mouth wide open, his head turned upwards as a mouse balances above him. Everyone can imagine the scene as they like, but my intention was to put the mouse in danger… If he stumbles, Le Cat will make mincemeat of him!)
In the new version created for Andenne, whose emblem is the bear, it’s a completely different matter. It’s not a confrontation, but a complicit duo, a circus act that should amaze passers-by and delight children.
The installation of this work is the perfect opportunity to set up an exhibition at the Espace Muséal d’Andenne (EMA). What will you see there? Drawings, paintings, silkscreens, sculptures, as well as sound and image archives.
All kinds of themes will be explored, including death and old age, stupidity, interculturality, religion, ecology, disability, love, art and celebrity. All subjects that raise questions for us at one point or another in our lives. Le Chat has mastered the art of talking about serious matters in a light-hearted, but always humane way.
And I’ll also have fun hiding a few drawings about prehistory in the middle of the EMA’s permanent collections.
Practical info
From 09 June to 15 November 2023
www.expoandenne.be