Philippe Ramette

Philippe Ramette, born in 1961 in Auxerre, is a French visual artist whose work ranges from photography to sculpture, installation and drawing. He lives and works in Paris.
Philippe Ramette was introduced to sculpture at the Villa Arson in Nice (1987-1989). There he produced works of surrealist inspiration, prepared by an elaborate sketch, made of materials such as wood, leather, copper or brass. His first sculptures are designated by complex titles with cold humor, often coercive, in reference to the utopias of the inventors of the nineteenth century: Socle à réflexion (1989), Objets à se faire foudroyer (1991), Potence préventive pour dictateur potentiel (1993), Prison portable and Potence domestique (1994)…
Later, his sculptures will feature characters (In Praise of Discretion, 2012, In Praise of the Side Step, 2018, In Praise of Transgression, 2018).

At the same time, it is his photographs, which transpose into images the humor and strangeness of his sculptures, will earn him great visibility. The artist – who stages himself – realizes acrobatic performances without tricks or digital retouching, between sky and earth, at the limit of the void, which pleasantly deceive the eye and thus function as an enigma to be solved.

In 2020/2021, following an invitation from the gallery MiniMasterpiece to design a wearable sculpture, Philippe Ramette developed the “Bague pour toujours prendre la bonne direction”. This piece is in total continuity with the rest of his work.