Christian Piron

Belgian surrealist sculptor

Artistic approach

From the ‘Académie des Beaux-Arts’ art school in Namur (Belgium), I first had a short try at stone-cutting. I then decided to re-visit a Belgian art specialty: surrealism.

Of course, Magritte and Delvaux are gone. Society has evolved. Priorities are different. Surrealism Masters have long faded away. Dadaism is now a chapter in History of Art.

Am I now busy with ‘neo-surrealism’? Is it ‘social surrealism’?
Are my works engaged, untypical, ‘décalé’, innovative?
To me, it generates freedom of thought and speech, an absolute must next to any debate on aesthetics or morale.
My sculptures are out of any trend or hype. They grow from surrealistic roots on a fresh soil rejuvenated by a new generation.

The freedom shows also in the (possibly uncommon) choice of material: clay.
To my eyes, clay sculpture allows for a continuum of creating - from the raw piece of clay to the final stage. Any change, any move, from a minute detail to a complete re-start from scratch, freedom is there! It makes me express my own whole, my feelings, my unspoken goals, my hidden strengths, my desire to be provocative, my wish to interact with the others

Choosing for clay might mean some nonconformism. Clay is not considered a noble material compared to stone or bronze. I intend to correct this perception.

Colour is another point of importance. It is vital concern to me.
On some works, it sublimates volume, structure or appearance. Colour influences or distorts the basic message.

Am I a sculptor? Am I a painter?
… For me, a fruitless debate.