Sculptural Surrealism: Jean-Baptiste Courtier’s 39 Chaises

The series is populated by a common metal framed wooden chair; but by Courtier’s design its form bends and changes as rhythmically as the ocean it is photographed against. Created for French magazine, Madame Figaro, the editorial features a single model, couture scarves and chairs in various iterations photographed at the beach. The 39 chairs were welded into sculptures by Courtier specifically for the editorial; taking the form of a wheel, before mimicking a tower of cards, and later, offering up a ladder to nowhere. This series continues Courtier’s conceptual bend in photography, in his previous work featured on IGNANT, he has explored sculptural and surreal forms in ‘Escrime’, ‘Elephant Rose’, ‘Natation Synchronisée’ and ‘The White Helmets’.