All by my selfie
Above all, a sculptor, Philippe Ramette creates objects whose purpose is not so much their everyday use as the process of reflection that they engage the viewer in. He produces works in which the aim is to "imagine what one might see". He then decides to stage his sculptures in photographs. Whilst he creates improbable objects or situations, it is not so much a question of illustrating the absurd, but rather one of constructing an irrational image in a rational manner. Philippe Ramette stages himself in his black suit, placed against a carefully composed landscape of which he will become a part in an extravagant, visually astonishing or stunning manner. He produces the shots in collaboration with the photographer Marc Domage. These photographs are not retouched or edited, as the artist seeks above all to keep in touch with his work as a sculptor.
Phillip Ramette’s Object to watch yourself looking (1990 ) takes the form of a metal band extended by an articulated rod at the end of which a micro-mirror reflects the image of its user. This work suggests the participation of the spectator or artist in an operatory process which could equally be carried out in the real world as well as the virtual one. The work makes reference to conditions of existence and very specific mental states. Initially seeming absurd, these objects reveal truths about our own consciousness. The body, can become a support for a prosthetic instrument that generates ambiguous and reversible sensations. By using Philippe Ramette's object, every subject becomes a spectator of the world but also of their own image. Thus a self-reference is created in a dizzying and fascinating metatheatre. Designed for and in relation to the body, this work proposes a humorous reflection on the artist and his production and on the possible exchanges that the latter can generate.
Frac Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, 2003