A Shared Vision of Piedmont-Savoy
The identity of Gabriel Méxène is not found in a single individual, but in the collaborative spirit of two brothers, Vincent Fayolle and Damien Fayolle. Born in the quiet evening light along the ramparts of the Citadel of Villefranche-sur-Mer, their creative life began with a shared dream of a vast, altruistic utopia. This imagined territory, which they named Piedmont-Savoy, draws its soul from the history and geography of the Metropolis of Nice. Their work is a quiet intersection of poetry, painting, and engraving, where the written word and the visual landscape are inseparable.
Their practice is deeply rooted in the Mediterranean landscape. They do not merely observe the world; they attempt to reconstruct a link to the sacred through a modern lens. By blending philosophical narrative with physical art, they create an initiatory experience that seeks to bridge the gap between memory and the present moment. This pursuit of a poetic and metaphysical reality defines their entire body of work.
The Architecture of the Book
The core of their creative output is a series of works titled The Figures. These are not traditional books, but objects that challenge how we perceive the relationship between text and space. They have explored this concept through various mediums, moving from the digital realm to the permanence of stone.
- Stone Books: Engraved, gilded, and painted Tavel marble pieces that function as physical monuments.
- Digital Editions: Iterations of their narrative that exist in the ephemeral space of the digital world.
- Artist's Books: Paper works that combine text and landscape to build their mythological universe.
In their stone works, the physical weight of the material becomes part of the story. For instance, the Delta Book, often called the Dragon Book of Piedmont-Savoy, uses 1400 hand-engraved Roman capital letters on Tavel marble to explore the concept of alterity. Similarly, the Tau Book, or the Temple Book of Piedmont-Savoy, uses 800 letters to transform the idea of a library into a temple built according to the Etruscan rite.
Legacy in Stone and Ink
The physical presence of their work is felt in several significant collections. Their efforts to merge the sacred with the material have led to their pieces being held in various repositories, including the Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon and the Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques-Doucet in Paris. In the region they call home, the Musées de la Citadelle de Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Bibliothèque Patrimoniale Romain Gary in Nice hold important pieces of their narrative.
Through these works, Gabriel Méxène continues to develop a specific cultural territory. Whether through the delicate engraving of a stone or the careful arrangement of a landscape, their work remains a meditation on Mediterranean culture and the metaphysical aspirations of the human spirit.
