Andre Veloux x Bri Cirel "Deluxe"

About

While Cirel’s paintings focus on the portrayal of female bodies in art, Veloux’s works play with forms that challenge traditional gender representation by depicting figures and couples that visually lean towards genderless. Veloux observes that “once one of the figures is objectified then it is usually perceived as female”. Whereas Cirel places attention on the idea that “images of women in art and advertising are often not about the woman who’s image is depicted. The image is of her, but not about her.”

Both artists share interests in how gender controls perceptions and creates bias standards in art, media and life. The two meet while showing together in multiple group shows and started conversing through social media as they gravitated towards each other's artwork.

Cirel explains, “I was immediately drawn to Veloux’s aesthetic because I love the play of pixelation and dimension. Once I began learning more about his concepts, I felt strongly connected to his messaging”.

Using Lego tiles and blocks as his medium, Veloux cleverly controls the amount an image is pixelated, allowing the viewer to question what they see. He explains “Playing on our ideas of gender and how we interpret images, these figures are simultaneously gendered and genderless and reveal in many of us a need to identify gender in what we see”.
 

Cirel also plays with obscuring her figures using text as a way to contain or omit imagery of the nude female form. Depicting classical nudes cropped and encased within words such as “Some Body” and “Tits And Art”, Bri delivers two elements that sometimes compete for the viewers attention and likewise asks them to question their perception. She explains “I juxtaposed the depiction of a classic nude with the pornographic term (“tits”) specifically to challenge the viewer to see the figure as both a female Art Nude and as a naked person.”

Though the concepts may be challenging, the two artists make works that are beautiful and pleasant to view. With calming color palettes and soft nude forms, the works invite you to look at the subjects and asks that you consider how they are being depicted.

Andre Veloux, a British, feminist artist expressing social commentary on gender, gender equality, women's rights, and women's empowerment through Lego bricks, creates captivating two and three-dimensional wall hanging artworks, as well as performance and video work.