Coq à l'attaque, 2016

Bences  

A self-taught Swiss-Canadian artist of Salvadorian origin, Bences draws his inspiration from the contemplation of nature and his pre-Columbian roots, to which he is deeply attached. The spectacle of the Alpine peaks is a source of wonder that brings back irresistible memories of the countless volcanoes of his childhood. He imagines an astonishing bestiary lurking in these protean clouds that slither from summit to summit.

An eclectic visual artist, he moves from engraving to painting, while reappropriating the ancestral technique of decoupage, so popular in Switzerland. This has enabled him not only to resurrect some of the key figures from his childhood in El Salvador, but also to pay tribute to forgotten heroines such as Rufina Amaya and Rigoberta Menchu, the Mayan activist from Guatemala who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992. But nothing fascinates Bences as much as capturing the expressiveness of an animal, whether it's the Central American jaguarundi (wild cat), or the familiars he sees around him today, such as the graceful Zazie or the tender Cosack.