Cedric Vardon

Cédric Vardon's painting is equivalent to a voluntary dive into the cosmos. Nothing seems ever dissociated from what surrounds it. In this organic universe, where the curve takes its revenge on rectilinear tyranny, each drawn shape is inscribed like a living cell in a limitless whole. If each treated theme uses a space apparently in accordance with the conventions of painting, the subject is in no way circumscribed to this framework and seems to flourish there in an autonomous manner, largely exceeding the setting which seems to enclose it. Cédric Vardon seems to want to tell us that in this world, everything is connected, dependent on a system of exchanges from which no being can abstract himself without putting himself outside-I (u). It works much like electricity in neurons. Between scientism and spiritualism, which path to take? Proud of his knowledge and the machines he created, modern man believed himself above the laws of life, believing that he could, without any restriction, annex the planet which provided for his survival. We now know the impact of its action on our environment. Balances have been broken, many species are threatened and available resources are being dangerously reduced, not to mention the state of the air. No human gesture is without effect on the future. But nothing, either, seems totally irreversible. Through an artistic gesture, Cédric Vardon brings to the surface some questions that seem essential to us. He has in no way turned his back on the wonder of childhood. As cryptic as it may seem, the poetic expression with which he accompanies his “images” is presented as a multitude of flashes, like the often contradictory requests that the neocortex receives. This writing requires careful reading, carried out without a priori. We can detect astounding formulas which, by shaking up our habits, feed our imagination. (c) Luis Porquet (2015) Art critic, writer.