Le colosse

In Antibes, a French city with a long history and a lively art scene, you meet Le colosse by Jean-Marie Fondacaro. A figure balances on top of a metal arc, caught in a moment of transition rather than at rest. Movement is what keeps it upright, and any disturbance leads to a new position or state.

Fondacaro was born in 1956 into a family of artisans and learned wood carving while still a child. Movement has held his interest ever since, in all its complexity and variety. His sculptures take resin, earth or aluminium, materials chosen because they carry strength and vulnerability together. Each work tells a story about humanity, its limits and its contradictions. For another of his works he spent fifteen years studying propulsion, the impulse from earth to sky. That research feeds into this piece as well. His larger subject is the human condition, held in the tension between stability and change.

The sculpture belongs to a series of monumental works shown in public spaces, sometimes as temporary exhibitions. Promenades and public squares are favoured settings, inviting passers-by to stop and reflect. The artist has appeared at some of these installations himself, sharing his thoughts on movement and balance in art and life. The arc supports its figure, yet it looks ready to tip at any moment: equilibrium here is always at risk.