Tanguy Pitavy

Tanguy is a French multi-disciplinary artist who works with various mediums from metal to papier-mache, computer work, and ceramics. For him, art is a means of transcribing his thoughts onto canvas. Tanguy's art carries a socially committed message by satirizing our society. His three large-scale art pieces explore the relentless consumption patterns that characterize modern life, the devastation brought on natural landscapes, and the unsustainable practices of waste disposal. These issues are brought to the forefront, demanding a reevaluation of policies and personal habits. In his artistic practice, Tanguy Pitavy elaborates on themes of personification and zoomorphism as narrative tools that challenge the Western doctrine of classifying and separating beings and the associated stereotypes.

"Aujourd'hui Est Un Fauve, Demain Verra Son Bond"

Acrylic - 2023
2m20*1m80

"Everything Will Burn"

Acrylic - 2023
2m20*1m80

Tanguy's work titled Aujourd'hui Is a Wild Animal (2023), is a response to the dispossession and violent appropriation of lands, bodies, rights, and social relations by extractivism. The scenes presented in the canvas show stories of collective resistance in Covas de Barroso (Portugal), Chiapas (Mexico), Lützerath Germany), and Lota (Chile). In contrast to the mining industry's logic of subjugating the mountain and its inhabitants, these stories portray the mountain, its forces, spirits, and creatures fighting extractivism and opposing its de-futurizing effects through indignation, revenge, celebration, and greed.

In Everything Will Burn, (2022) Tanguy Pitavy satirically depicts the modern society where people live in cities ignorant of issues that surround them, such as earthquakes, forest fires, and waste disposal mismanagement. The artist depicts people as white sheep which serves as a metaphor for obedient citizens. His hero is a wolf, an individual with an active stance on environmental policies, an anarchist, and a protestor fighting for a positive change in society but is shown in the media and by politicians as a threat to the established order. 

"Bagarre à Sainte-Soline, 2024"

Acrylic on canvas  

This painting captures the intense conflict surrounding the mega-basins in the Deux Sèvres region, embodying a stark clash of societal visions. It vividly portrays the dichotomy between the police state, emblematic of a capitalist-industrial perspective that advances ecological destruction, and the rebellious earthlings—a coalition of humans, animals, and mythical beings. The police state is depicted as enforcing a strict, rational order, its approach hinting at a looming fascist threat. In stark contrast, the earthlings advocate for a reality that is rich in diversity, untamed, and vibrant, championing a world where multiple existences and perspectives flourish. This artwork serves as a poignant narrative on environmental and societal struggles, reflecting deep tensions between control and freedom, uniformity and diversity.