EXPO ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ – Putti Art Gallery (LV) – 25 Fevr.-11 Avril 2015

The Seven Deadly Sins (les 7 péchés capitaux) by Emmanuel Lacoste Exhibition  /  Putti Art Gallery

The project The Seven Deadly Sins, by French conceptual jewellery artist, Emmanuel Lacoste will be displayed at the Latvian gallery.  This exhibition was inspired the list of the Seven Deadly Sins as defined by Thomas Aquinas during the 13th century – wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, gluttony.

Photograph: 7 Deadly Sins - Photo by: Alexandre Keller, Michael Mohr

La liste, toujours actuelle, des Sept Péchés Capitaux a été définie par Thomas D’Aquin au XIIIe siècle. Elle devait servir de repère aux ecclésiastiques afin d’observer une conduite spirituelle parfaite. On les appelle capitaux car c’est d’eux que découlent tous les péchés envisageables.
En mars 2008, l’Église Catholique a annoncé vouloir ajouter à cette liste « sept péchés modernes » d’ordre social, mentionnant le trafic de drogues, les manipulations génétiques, la pollution, etc.
Il m’a donc semblé intéressant de revenir avec ironie sur cette liste primordiale et surannée qui, à mon sens, trace assez bien le cadre de la fragilité humaine. Car sans ces péchés nous ne serions pas ce que nous sommes.

During the 4th century, the monk Evagrius Ponticus published a collection of books, one for each moral transgression that anyone should avoid doing not to offend God. The final and still commonly accepted list of the Seven Deadly Sins has been defined by Thomas Aquinas during the 13th century – wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, gluttony. It was supposed to be a frame of reference for the ecclesiastics in order to keep a perfect spiritual behavior.
In March 2008, the Catholic Church announced its will to renew this list and add some social sins, like genetic manipulation, use of drugs, environmental pollution, poverty, etc. At this time, Emmanuel Lacoste found an interest in looking back to the original, primary and outdated list with a kind of soft irony. In his opinion, these seven sins shaped the frame of human weakness, because we wouldn`t be what we are without them.                        
These sins are not really forbidden acts, but more what Thomas Aquinas used to call passions that submit us to temptation. What underlies these sins is desire. And what kind of object could be a better medium for desire than a jewelry piece? The exhibition “The Seven Deadly Sins” represents humoristic point of view about these temptations. Each piece of jewelry comes with a sculpture that represents a part of a woman’s body. In these pieces the relation between the object and the body is more than just aesthetic, because every piece causes a physical punishment if the person who wears it surrenders to the related sin.
Human body is one of the last sanctuaries for individual creativity. These seven pieces are in line with a research for an accepted egocentric eccentricity.
 
“The perfection of the righteous is formed from the right composition of the seven deadly sins – just as white light is from the composition of the seven traditional colors.” Paul Valéry

  Emmanuel Lacoste. Object: Gourmandise (Gluttony), 2008 Citrin, white gold Photo by: Fassih Belmokhtar On display

Emmanuel Lacoste - Necklace: Avarice (Greed), 2008 – Gold-plated silver, semi-precious stones and crystal, mink fur -Photo by: Fassih Belmokhtar On display

Emmanuel Lacoste Ring: Orgueil (Pride), 2008 Silver, mirror Photo by: Fassih Belmokhtar On display

 

 

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