antithesis
antithesis is the brand vehicle for Sam Le Rougetel.
Born in 1972 he studied Art & Design at St Martins 2001-2003 and is now at Chelsea doing a BA in Fine Art. Running through his practice is a unique, recognisable style that encapsulates society's common threads of hedonism, hope and despair and luxuriates in the base instincts that unite humanity. In recent work he has veered heavily to figuration and has been asking questions about identity and gender. In his series of Wo Men paintings and sculptures we see the influence of the growing identitity crisis of the 21st Century tackled head on in the crudest possible terms using the body as metaphor. Confusion reigns as women try to be men and men try to be women. Le Rougetel's 'Coke Heads' articulate the tightrope of fear, joy and despair that we walk today as mental overload leads society to new heights of dependency and abuse. Ask someone what they want to be when they grow up and they will often say 'famous' or 'thin' or 'I want bigger tits'- Le Rougetel looks at aspects of this in his series 'Page 3 Girls'. Rather than technology freeing us in the 21st Century we work harder than ever, and the gap between rich and poor has kept on increasing. A general malaise seems to afflict everyone as we are programmed to think the worst and fear for our survival. Le Rougetel's art reflects this. Spend time with his painting "Have You Seen 'The Battle of San Romano'?"and you will encounter multiple relationships in colour, shape and form. There is a richness in Le Rougetel's work that appears spontaneous but that has taken time to mature in concept and practice. By making his audience reflect upon their own image, he effectively utilises art's most powerful tool.
CHELSEA's galleries include photos of his solo shows 'Squares, Triangles Faces'; 'Primitive Faces - Black & White' and 'Primitive Resurrections'. 'RBY Cafe Society Revisited' and 'Urban Scapes' were inspired by urban hedonism and if you go to 'MOOB' you'll get a good look at Sam's tits. Also see 'The Bacon 6' the first paintings he showed at Chelsea in 2006 as well as the important triptych 'Duchamp Is Dead'.
If you like the art, not the pecks, then go to CONTACT, call Sam on 0044 7989 243 112 or mail samlerougetel@antithesis.co.uk
