Born in 1978, Nicolas Buffe developed a fascination for
Japanese culture – its manga cartoons, comic strips and video games – at an
early age. A graduate of the Beaux-Arts in Paris, he has lived in Tokyo since
2007, where his work explores a mix of Japanese Pop and traditional imagery. In
2010 he won the Grand Prix Appel à la Création Contemporaine, awarded by the
International Centre for Tapestry and the Weaving Arts in Aubusson, France. In
2012, he created the decor and costumes for Haydn’s opera Orlando Paladino at
the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris. Tokyo’s Hara museum presents a solo exhibition
of his work in 2014.
Serio Ludere (‘to play seriously’) was a precept dear to
the hearts of the humanist authors of the Renaissance. Serious matters were to
be tackled with a lighthearted, playful touch – a wise approach saluting the
need to stand back and see things in perspective, the clever knack of
communicating deep thoughts with a pinch of humour and imagination. This young
French artist, steeped in Baroque and Renaissance art, mangas, comic strips and
video games, presents a unique but characteristic composition – a clever mix of
ancient forms and contemporary imagery. At its heart, an elephant symbolises
playfulness and wisdom combined. Bernini, the 18th-century sculptor and
archetype of the Roman Baroque, perched his obelisk on the Piazza della Minerva
on the back of an elephant. His inspiration was an engraving from the
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (the Dreams of Poliphilus), a celebrated book
published in Venice in 1499 by Francesco Colonna. In it, the author explains
that a hard head (like the elephant’s) is the best support for the burden of
wisdom.
Nicolas Buffe gives us hard-headed, playful baby elephant, perched on a
rocking-stool.
