Christine Lagarde (2014)
Pastel on paper
200 × 140 cm
BA Collection
Inventory No.: 268
Kepa Garraza’s work starts by questioning and reflecting on the constructs of contemporary politics and their reflection in the media. He uses the large format as a nod to the historical painting of the 19th century and the portraits of the good and the great. He uses black and white as a way to standardise all the faces: one such case is his Christine Lagarde, a large work in which he portrays the French politician and lawyer. The use of the colour black invites the viewer to de-construct the person psychologically, with no more attributes than the physical and lacking in the representation of other symbols, flags, or the emotional guide of colours.
Another of Garraza’s intentions is to reflect on the use of art as a means of propaganda throughout history. To a certain extent, his work can therefore be seen as calling for the autonomy of art, using the same narrative and aesthetic tools of the media at the discursive level, but whose purpose is always to demystify, be ambiguous and even uncomfortable. His main interest is not politics per se, but rather contemporary construct, which will end up becoming the history of our times.