Noir c'est noir
Artist:
Saâdane Afif
Date:
2013
Materials:
Plastic, Ink
Collection:
Lafayette anticipations - Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin
Domain:
Prints
This four-colour BIC pen, with its partially black exterior, only writes in one colour: black. Its title is an ironic commentary on the user's lack of choice. By appropriating an iconic BIC object, Saâdane Afif is drawing on the tradition of the readymade initiated by Marcel Duchamp to question the relationship between the work of art and the brand. He takes the same approach as Claude Closky, who created a pen with four black cartridges for BIC: Ni noir, ni rouge, ni vert, ni bleu. These commercially accessible pens, produced in factories in Montevrain and Tarragona in an artist’s edition of five thousand copies, question the uniqueness and value of the work of art. Noir c’est noir is the first work in a series begun by Saâdane Afif for the launch of the Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette in 2013. It was followed by Au Hasard Balthazar (2015) and Faux-semblant (2016).
Text written by Claire Tallon as part of the partnership between the École du Louvre and Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin.
Text written by Claire Tallon as part of the partnership between the École du Louvre and Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin.