Floryan Varennes

There is syncretism in Floryan Varennes’ work – an improbable encounter between medieval history, which it constantly draws from, and the sociology of fashion and gender. The aesthetic production resulting from the intersection of these fields reinterprets, redefines, transforms or combines codes. For example, his sculptures inspired by medieval standards are made out of holographic leather (Codex Novem, 2018). The artist brings together the Limbourg brothers and Judith Butler in one unique vision. Shirt and jacket collars become motifs that symbolise the idea of power and of constrained bodies. Clothing can be the vehicle to assert one’s public identity, but it can also be oppressive. In Floryan Varennes’ work, it is fragmented, dismembered, and expressive of a hybrid identity.