Frédéric Platéus
1976°
Lives and works in Liège, Belgium.
A self-taught artist, Frédéric Platéus’ work is a charismatic balance between high art and pop culture, which translates into exquisite design.
In his sculptures, he combines his attraction to sport, speed, technology and science fiction with his love of urban culture. Platéus’ works have a delicate visual clarity and are unified by clean lines, brilliant textures and impeccable design. The “anabolic panels” for which he is best known are large rectangular reliefs containing inflated PVC compositions. Carefully designed and cut from wood, then stretched and heat-sealed onto custom-made PVC, the works have an immaculate, smooth and perfectly balanced finish.
Presented in institutions such as WIELS and BOZAR in Brussels, CAPC in Bordeaux, MAC’s Grand-Hornu and the National Gallery of Art Zacheta in Warsaw, the Belgian artist takes us back to the speed and dynamism of the urban environment, through futuristic plastic forms reminiscent of Star Trek’s cardboard decorations and Erwin Wurm’s inflatable cars. Inspired by the motorcycle industry and its obsession with smooth finishes, Platéus’ work is in the tradition of “Finish Fetish”, an artistic movement that originated in Los Angeles in the 60s and was defined as the Californian counterpart to New York minimalism.
Platéus’ refreshing artistic vision brings brilliance, humor and vintage futurism to the contemporary art world.