Ben Vautier - "They All Committed Suicide" Solo Exhibition

Wall graffiti - concepts and values regarding suicide death, 2008. Ben Vautier's solo exhibition "They All Committed Suicide" was on display at Daniel Templon Gallery from January 10 to February 21. Born in 1935, Ben is one of the most provocative and controversial figures in the French art world, and among the most radical members of the international Fluxus movement. He is one of the few French artists with significant international presence, and arguably the artist who most thoroughly realized Duchamp's concepts within post-WWII Neo-Dadaism. The extraordinary theme of "They All Committed Suicide" touches upon the sacredness of life, offering a strong challenge and ample imaginative space for art. Since life cannot be self-determined, at least death is held in one's own hands. In 1961, Ben himself attempted to commit suicide as an artistic act, intending to be crushed into sheet metal by a car or flattened by a roller, after which his wife would apply varnish and mount it as a painting. The artist explained: "Death is the most sacred aspect of life. It is everywhere (...). Today, I accept this concept as a form of artistic creation. In art, I, Ben, appropriate this concept of death because death is the only absolute."

The solo exhibition "They All Committed Suicide" is presented in three main forms. First, a series of black-and-white photographic portraits of famous individuals who committed suicide, ranging from painter Jackson Pollock to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, and photographer Brassai to painter Mark Rothko. Beneath each portrait, Ben inscribed details and dates of their deaths in white text on a black background. Secondly, the artist presents his specialty: a series of text paintings of various sizes, featuring handwritten or collaged slogans and maxims related to suicide, such as "Death Everywhere," "Life Wants to Die," "Right to Die," "Life passes completely, shatters completely, abandons completely," "Death Does Not Exist," "Death Is Not That Easy," "Life Is Useless," "You - Committed Suicide," "I Want Death," "Don't Want to Live," "Conquer Pain," "Death Is a Work of Art," and "Death of Art." Finally, wall graffiti written in an emotional style describes various incidents related to suicide, such as "Death is a sad and difficult subject," "Death is like family matter," "Diverse forms of death," and "Death is a great mystery," pointing to the meaning and imaginative space of death.