“If we’re wrapping ourselves up to conceal any vulnerability, whatever happens to us has to go through all those extra layers”.
(Alexandra Katehakis)

SLip is a French artist working primarily on collage projects through which he proposes „ a fantasy world where animals go to work, tyrants discover a difficult adolescence, femmes fatales have problems with makeup”. The eccentric collages reflect excerpts of a wonderland he uses to challenge the rightfulness of the real one. By erasing the human faces and expressions from his subjects, he questions the true nature of the humanity behind them. Landscapes and colors melt together in visual contradictions forms, twisting different elements in the same layers of exploration. The creativity of SLip’s artistic combinations is refreshing for the contemporary scene which tends to use the self in a direct and transparent way, leaving the essential well hidden behind masks and reversed expressionism.

The collage project Disappear reveals a deeper layer of expression taking the shape of various human forms. Although the exterior self is hidden behind colorful scenes and classical surroundings, the inner self beneath the surface is revealed more than one would perceive at a first glance. The artist affirms that “Disappearance [is] a domestic capacity that will hide a person’s discomfort. Although the body responds to this, we find ourselves propelled into another world through our mind. This collection invites you to discover the inner world of men and women.”

SLip worked with the Kulte brand when the AH2010 collection was launched and also contributed to Comptoir des Cotonniers visual campaign "Comptoir Monte le Son". Currently, his collaboration with Paperwallet gave him the opportunity to integrate the store the Guggenheim Museum in New York with his favorite character, Leon Grellutch.

Trying to dive into the intertwining worlds of this exceptional artist, I sensed his creativity bursting through the crust of every collage story.

What initially drew you to collage?

SLip: I had a background in computer science so I'm pretty familiar with the use of tools like Photoshop and, as I was not gifted with pencils, my first material was about digital pictures. Then I started cutting and mixing the pictures I found, making funny collages and using characters in different contexts.

Of your own work, what's your favorite piece? Why?

My favorite piece was one of my first cyanotype, a lion called Leon Grellutch [1]. I was working on this characters's serie (We Are All Animals) mixing digital collages and printing them by myself using cyanotype technique. This is my personal favorite and I saw that everybody loves Leon as well.

Do most of your art pieces have stories behind them or do you start creating and then see what happens?

Every piece of my work has a little story behind it. I start with a story or a historical context. Then, I search pictures to match this context. When I find the pic, the story can slightly change depending on the the character’s visual appearance inside the pic, or on any other contextual detail.

Are you involved in any upcoming projects?

SLip: I am currently involved in a band project, working on the visual aspects and composing a visual show during the gigs. The band is called Oh Boy! [2].

Find and follow SLip:
• Website: http://www.iamslip.com
• Tumblr: iamslip.tumblr.com
• Disappear project: http://www.iamslip.com/?p=9902
• Facebook: facebook.com/iamslip
• Expos: http://www.iamslip.com/?cat=5

[1] Leon Grellutch
www.iamslip.com/?p=861#lightbox[861]/0/
[2] Oh Boy!
www.facebook.com/ohboyofficial