Nice Matin October 19th 2003
by Nicole Laffont

ARMAN: "Art is the make-up of the planet".

He has not exhibited in a private gallery in Nice for 30 years. For Artsoum, the artist has created 'Sans Papiers', original works where we find once again those cult objects of his, the musical instruments. He evokes his vision of the world and of art.

He divides his time between his houses in Vence and New York where his children go to school. He often visits London and Paris, and exhibits throughout the world, recently in Iran for a large retrospective of his works, and next January in Madrid. Arman, founder member of the School of Nice, is the inventor of the New Realism, whose manifesto he signed 40 years ago at the home of Yves Klein.
An artist of renown who has invested in the real in order to elevate it into art. Matter can be remodeled, attacked, spoken to and deformed. The respectable object can already be a work of art. Arman's discourse always centers on the object. From the cello to the drum to the washing machine, to the African mask to the trinket, from precious things to the bric-à-brac of his childhood, when his father was a secondhand goods dealer in Nice. Arman vilifies the consumer society which mistreats the object, throws it away, forgets it. He, for whom material is essential as a support, has decided to work this time 'sans papier' (without papers). Thus he is exhibiting for the first time in 30 years in a private gallery in Nice, Artsoum art contemporain, light, gentle works that are almost ethereal.

What does an exhibition called 'Sans Papiers' mean?

Arman : "I worked on a sort of cardboard, extremely solid, which allows Indian ink to push the colors. Therefore the forms harmonize with the colors perfectly. Certainly these look like paper, but this is 'false paper' or if you wish the 'sans papiers'" (unofficial residents). However if the gallery decides to offer the profits from the sale of my work I am for it. As far as I am concerned I have too much paperwork. Incidentally, you've seen the Americans have cancelled the decision to demand an optical passport….

In your 'Vingt stations de l'object' exhibited at the turn of the year 2000 you chose a discarded car, filled with computers and TVs to evoke the 20th century.

Arman : Right now this century is a disaster. I see a bomb, primed, ready to explode.

In August 2001 during an interview you said to me: "I am a smiling pessimist. I don't think I will see a catastrophe." But there was September 11….

Arman : You see I was right to be a pessimist. I am sad but not surprised. This day was the most successful day of terrorism because of its impact but also because of how it marked our memories. For the first time the Americans were hit on there own soil….I was in Paris when it happened. In New York, we live 800 meters from the towers. I was set to return the following day. I telephoned my wife and said to her: "Turn on the TV. Something terrible has happened. We were completely spared but we took in two families made homeless by the catastrophe."

In that year you spoke also of a period of Roman pre-decadence. Do you still think this is true today?

Arman : This has accelerated, notably for the American empire. The 20th century was American. The 21st century will not be. Perhaps it will be Chinese, or someone else. I don't know.

The public along the Riviera were quite struck by your recent 'Passage à l'acte'. You destroyed a whole living room at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Nice. Are you a destroyer?

Arman : No, I am a cleaner. I have never killed anyone…officially at least.
Even if when I was a militant with the FFI they said of me: "This sinister killer who hides under the occupation of being a student!"

Do you think there are solutions for saving culture, for saving the diversity in art?

Arman : More and more people are less interested in art. But they consume art without knowing it. Art is 'expendable' as the Americans say. One can stretch to everything and to nothing. Artists are interchangeable in a large sense, but not in the detailed sense. The details make a painting. It is like a beautiful woman. She should wear make-up. Well, I think art is the make-up of the planet.

Women have a great importance in your life. How do you view them?

Arman : I am a feminist. Women are strong and courageous. But they are dangerous and are responsible for most of the miseries of humanity. Take a group of men in the army or in a camp. They become more or less tramps in a short time. Men buy toys, cars. They consume these to dazzle the women. But the real consumers are the women. And consumption announces the destruction of the planet.

What is the future of art?

Arman : If there is a future for man, there is a future for art. This is no longer my concern as the hands of time are directed against us in an implacable manner. In 3 billion years everything will disappear in a sort of red magma because of the cooling of the sun. All the works of art will be destroyed. We fight against this destiny but humanity is threatened with three catastrophes. First degeneration….Man has acquired the power to destroy the planet completely. He is the only animal who has successfully destroyed his biotope in the name of profit. The third catastrophe is of a cosmic order. A huge meteorite as big as a French department hits the planet….

What then are the possible responses, the solutions?

Arman : Science aims to give responses but this is dangerous. Religion is even worse. It is the ultimate pretext man has found to kill his neighbor. Philosophy could be good. But the philosophers have been arguing over details for over 3 000 years. So one returns to art. The only thing to do is to use make-up….to heighten the eyeliner on the eyes of the planet."