French artist Thibault Sandret, age 26, has developed an artistic philosophy which he refers to as Glam Trash Pop. Thibault draws his inspiration from vintage and contemporary pop culture, from which he favors sex appeal and counterculture icons. In order to emphasize the power of these images, he uses original techniques based on the physical properties of paper and its printed surface.


VINTAGE POP

The “Vintage Pop” series reflects Thibault’s attraction to both sixties iconography and junk aesthetics.

In order to confront feminine sensuality and manly action, cheerfulness and nostalgia, fascination and derision, Thibault extracts from vintage magazines provocative pin-ups, comic strips celebrating warlike heroism, cartoons featuring grotesque yet moving characters, and emblematic decorative motifs.

Thibault uses paper not only as an iconographic medium but also as a material. For instance, Transparency Drawing, a technique invented by Thibault, consists in filing the back of an image until it appears by transparency. In order to shape his compositions and emphasize the nostalgia inherent in vintage images, he puts his pieces through various wear and tear processes, such as abrasion, laceration, staining and dyeing.

Some compositions, like Lust and Lunacy or Ceux-la sont parfaits, suggest the existence of a plot through the combination of images, thus requiring the spectator’s imagination to puzzle it out in his own way.

 
REPARTITIONS

Répartition, a technique invented by Thibault, consists in transferring partially an image on transparent tape, enabling the artist to split the initial image in two ghostly versions, which are each other’s negatives.

Thibault uses this technique to create transparent and symmetrical effects, materializing the obsessive fantasies a fashion photograph is likely to cause.


X GEN POP

The “X Gen Pop” series draws its iconography simultaneously from street art, board culture (surfing, skateboarding…), punk rock and kawai mania.

Thibault collects images which are emblematic of those various countercultures and arranges them in collages featuring a world of subversion and ecstasy, encouraging spectators to free themselves from inhibitions and adopt a Dionysian attitude.