NICOLAS RUBINSTEIN
An artistic journey between science and subversion
Nicolas Rubinstein, an artist who transcends the traditional boundaries of art, reveals a singular and introspective approach in his first monograph, "Quand j'aurai du vent dans mon crâne", published by Lienart to mark his 25-year career. Although his work seems to detach itself from his personal sphere to explore broader universes, his trajectory is undeniably marked by his past. A former geological engineer, his scientific training infuses his art with methodological rigour and a boundless curiosity for detail and complexity. His beginnings in Nancy's vibrant alternative art scene, after a brief stint in a painting academy and the world of geology, cemented his artistic vocation. Today, from his vast studio in Marseille, he continues to merge research and creation, asserting that his art, far from being universal, is an ongoing dialogue with the world.
Nicolas Rubinstein, from geology to anatomical art
Originally trained in the sciences, notably at the École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie in Nancy from 1984, Nicolas Rubinstein has been able to combine his engineering studies with a prolific artistic and musical career. Beyond his degree, it was in the interstices of plastic art and the alternative rock scene that Rubinstein found his true impetus, exploring the depths of anatomy and the hidden structure of beings.
An artist first and foremost, he was passionate about transparency, skinning and dissection, which he applied with particular preference to animal representations, notably in works in which the emblematic figure of Mickey Mouse was metamorphosed. This iconic character finds himself transfigured into a rat skeleton, a visual daring that he initiated in his covers for 'Nicko's Fake Diary' in 2004, playing on the duality between Ub Iwerks' original graphic envelope and the symbolic skeleton that he exposes.
Rubinstein takes this approach in exhibitions where bone, chosen for its evocation of life and memory, becomes the leitmotif of his artistic expression, consolidating a plastic vocabulary that the artist constantly enriches, between revelation and provocation. For him, bone has become the mainstay of a visual language that he displayed at Le Lieu Unique in Nantes in 2010, and at the prestigious Fiac.
Mickey's interpretations
His work in anatomical deconstruction reaches a peak with his interpretations of Mickey, the pop icon transfigured into a skeleton that marked the group exhibition C'est la vie! Vanities from Caravaggio to Damien Hirst" at the Musée Maillol in 2010. Rubinstein describes her approach: "One of the fundamental aspects of my work is the desire to reveal the hidden structure, the inner skeleton, the anatomy of beings and the world...". In his view, this need to reveal, explore and understand the invisible is akin to a veritable scientific mission, an ongoing deciphering of the world around him, despite the mysteries that have yet to be unravelled.
"Zones Vagues": a tribute to the ocean
Nicolas Rubinstein, renowned for his artistic depth and environmental commitment, made a big impression in 2014 at the Biennial of the Mediterranean Union for Modern Art. His 'Zones Vagues' project is part of a drive to raise awareness of marine conservation, echoing the initiative of Albert I of Monaco, who founded the Oceanographic Institute to promote knowledge and protection of the oceans. For the occasion, Rubinstein transformed the Grimaldi Castle Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer into an undulating ocean of plastic bags, to highlight the problem of marine pollution.
