In 2003 Franck Bragigand, who designates his art to painting the mass production and garbage of society, showed over 300 collected and painted objects, including his painted plastic plants, in Gallerie van Gelder in Amsterdam. Afterwards, the works had to go to the Institut Néelandais in Paris and for this second exhibition a catalogue had to be made.
Bragigand’s work had to be transported to Paris. In an attempt to understand his work, Esther helped Franck pack all the objects. In exchange for her help Franck explained the French Philosophical text that was written for the catalogue. He did so mostly by showing the works the author was writing about, or by showing her things like the garbage or his baby blue scooter just outside the gallery. Esther took photographs and used them for the catalogue.
When the design of the catalogue was finished, Franck was invited to ‘paint’ the booklet. He was allowed to make any colour-intervention he desired and so he did. The booklet almost became a piece of art.
The text made mention of the fact that Franck Bragigand sometimes makes secret paintings in public space, and naturally we wanted to have a photograph of one of these secret interventions. Since the concept of this catalogue was to photograph only inside or in the vicinity of the gallery, Franck immediately made such a secret work of art by painting the gallery streetnumber-sign purple. The sign is still purple today.
Franck accepted the invitation to paint the booklet, and used this opportunity to add a word of protest on the cover. If you combine the front and back; the cover shows the word NO. It also shows the date 20.03.2003 (start of the Iraq War).
The exhibition in the intsitut Neerlandais had a do-it-yourself kind of aspect: the audience was allowed to make colour-copies of the work and add it to the catalogue, that’s why Esther made the A4-envelop (with an introduction by the director).