Aleksi BriclotGenesis: From Sketches To Artwork

Rental File

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General concept and distribution in space

Underlying thematics

Totem 1 - The Room

Totem 2, 3 and 4 - Briclot and Science Fiction

Totem 5 - Briclot and Mythology

Totem 6 - The Game

Aleksi Briclot

Selective bibliography

Comic books

Card games and Role-playing games

Books covers

Video games (designer and artistic director)

Awards

References

Technical sheet

Exhibition material

Fees

Press Release

Appendices

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TABLE OF CONTENTS GENERAL CONCEPT AND DISTRIBUTION IN SPACE

The Maison d’Ailleurs is pleased to present the first retrospective of world-re-nowned French artist Aleksi Briclot, recognized as one of today’s best graphic designers. Genesis: From Sketches To Artwork gives the opportunity to im-merse a captivating world and witness a nascent form of artistic expression: digital art. This form of art includes largely unknown techniques and leads the way to the future of art. Trained in traditional art techniques, Aleksi Briclot shows by the rich-ness of his images and the perfect mastery of his work the orientation that will be increasingly followed by the artists of tomorrow: as well as photography in the 20th Century, traditional art will certainly give way to digital media. Indeed, all artistic processes involve a language (pigments used for painting, materials used for sculpture, pixels used for digital art) and a representation (the artistic work). Novelty can arise from the language or the representation. The unique innovative talent of Briclot is to work these two axes of creation. The exhibition Genesis: From Sketches To Artwork is dedicated to this vision-ary aesthetic and explores several aspects of Aleksi Briclot’s work, from sourc-es of inspiration to final work. Drawings, video games, sculptures and books: Aleksi Briclot’s art production witnesses the emergence of digital image. The six stations are marked by six 100x70 cm aluminium totems.

Six totems 1. The Room2. Science Fiction3. Terror4. Superheroes5. Mythology6. The Game

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UNDERLYING THEMATICSTotem 1 – The Room

It is not often that the public is invited to enter a creator’s intimacy and to discover the artist’s first steps: some things seem to have to be kept secrets. Shy and introverted, the young Aleksi Briclot started very early to develop his personal universe. His sketches and drawings prove it. These early works have to be considered as the sign of an imaginary that will find its full maturity in the adult’s professional creations.

The first step of the exhibition in which you are invited takes you back to the creator’s and his creations origins. Genesis: From Sketches To Artwork could have cultivated the myth of these first years but we rather chose to disclose the craftsman behind the artist – the person who works incessantly with lead in order to turn it into gold

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Remember MeVisual cover of the video game

“Remember Me”© 2012 Capcom

(developed by DONTNOD Entertainment)

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Totems 2, 3 and 4 – Briclot and Science Fiction

Three totems are dealing with three major aesthetics:

Totem 2: Science Fiction The future represented by Aleksi is closer to the hostile and nightmar-ish one imagined by George Orwell than to the bright one dreamt by Walt Whiteman. However, it is also a future that can fascinates us thanks to the grace of the movements represented and the artist’s exceptional care for de-tails. But we should not forget that the worlds of de Splinter Cell or Remember Me only exist because they reflect… our reality.

Totem 3: Terror By exploring the depths of his contemporaries’ souls with the tip of his pen – traditional or digital – Aleksi Briclot exposes the Mister Hyde concealed in the deepest parts of our hearts. The strength of his compositions and the chirurgical realism of his pictures lead the young prodigy’s creatures to con-sign many movie monsters to the waxworks museum. Zombies, demons and chimeras that have come straight out of Hell: Aleksi’s bestiary expresses so much power that it is hard to believe that it is only paint.

Totem 4: Superheroes Reinvesting classic mythological figures or characters form the super-heroic aesthetic is challenging. Indeed, these so often exploited motives seem to be set in stone. Yet, Aleksi Briclot’s genius consists in bringing these com-positions back into life. He does so through a careful work on shapes and light. The figures, thus, gain in humanity and, incidentally, get closer to us. Besides, if it is so easy for us to project ourselves in these fantastic creatures endowed with fascinating powers it is because their details make them familiar: we are overwhelmed by the picture.

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Totem 5 – Briclot and Mythology

When Aleksi Briclot works on a superhero or on a creature for the Magic: The Gathering cards, these characters become icons. And when he revisits Merlin or Spawn, these already cult-figures reach the top the Mount Olympus. Thus, the Merlin Aleksi worked on in 2009 – while keeping the bestial look related to his modern human status – takes on the charismatic features, which – at the time Aleksi draws its hieratic portrait – lead the Mage to integrate the immor-tal pantheon of our myths.

The very detailed look of Aleksi Briclot’s figures gives the appearance of life to these divinities, which were traditionally stuck in cold and ethereal representa-tions. Without having to spell things, Aleksi reminds us that the Gods are the eternal version of a mortal humanity.

Totem 6 – The Game

This is the last totem and consequently, what could be more logical than to produce Aleksi Briclot’s most recent creations? Passionate about video games since his early childhood, the French prodigy proves us that a passion can be-come a career and that it is possible to excel in many domains.

From character design to artistic production, Aleksi has studied many aspects of video games but it is doubtlessly with the creation of “Dontnod” studio – and the release of his game Remember Me (Capcom, 2013) – that the artist makes us discover the extent of his talent. Endowed with a natural curiosity, Aleksi Briclot is interested by every steps of the creative process. Although many collaborators participate to these kinds of productions we recognize his style down to the last details.

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Spawn : Architects of FearCover of the same-named graphic novel© 2011 Todd McFarlane Productions

ALEKSI BRICLOT

Born in 1978, the French artist Aleksi Briclot is now considered as one of the greatest graphic designer - wether in the field of video game, as a game de-signer or professional illustration. His contribution is sought by the world’s largest studios (Cryon Interactive, Kalisto Entertainment, Durant, etc.) and by the French art galleries. After graduating in graphic design and visual communication, this young artist quickly began to work in the illustration field and moved in design and artistic design for video games with his own studio, “DontNod”. Mix-media artist specialized in fantastic and science fiction fields, he handles both video game, illustration and artwork of comic books. Until now, no museum has taken the initiative to expose Aleksi Bri-clot’s artworks: the Maison d’Ailleurs chose to cope with this situation and to present for all-ages public an original artistic retrospective expected by a large audience.

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Azzar’hiVisual concept for a HD statue with Tsume studio© 2012 Aleksi Briclot

Selective bibliography -Comic books

• Alone in the Dark, adaptation from the Alone in the Dark 4 video game, in collab-oration with Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier (scenario), Matt Haley (illustration), Paris : Semic, 2001• Spawn : Simony, Alex Nikolavitch (scenario), Paris : Semic, 2004• Spawn : Architects of Fear, Todd Mc Farlane Production, 2009• Les Légendes de la Table Ronde, Première prouesse, Paris : Soleil, 2005• Les Légendes de la Table Ronde, Le Cerf blanc, Paris : Soleil, 2006• Merlin, Jean-Luc Istin (scenario) and Jean-Sébastien Rossbach (illustration), Paris : Soleil, 2009

Game cards and Role-playing games • Les Métabarons, RPG book, West End Games & Yeti Entertainment, 2001• Nephilim, [3ème édition], RPG book, Multisim, 2001-2003• Vampire : le Requiem, RPG Book, Hexagonal [White Wolf Publishing], 2004• World of Warcraft, Cards game, Upper Deck, 2006• Magic: The Gathering, Cards game, Wizards of the coast, [1st edition], 1993

Books covers• Le Livre des mots, Aleksi Briclot, Guillaume Fournier, J.V. Jones, tomes 1 et 2, Paris : Calmann Lévy Fantasy, 2005-2006• Histoire de la terre du milieu, J.R.R. Tolkien, Paris : Pocket, 2006• La Faille entre les mondes, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Paris : Pocket, 2007• Le Cycle d’EA, David Zindell, Paris : Pocket, 2008

Video games (designer and artistic director)• Egypte 2 : La Proohétie d’Héliopolis, Cryo Interactive, 2000• Cold Fear, Ubisoft, 2005• Splinter Cell : Double Agent, Ubisoft, 2007• Dungeon Runners, NCsoft, 2007• Haze, Ubisoft, 2008• Remember Me, Capcom, 2013

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Awards• Art&Fact Prize in 2005• Silver Award in the fantastic anthology Spectrum 16 (2009) for Annihilation : Conquest • The “Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2011”, category Artist / Illustrator for Worlds and Wonders book.• Master Award (Category Comics/Manga) 2012, in the digital art anthology Exposé 10 (Ballistic Publishing)• Master Award (Category Fantasy) 2012, in the digital art anthology Exposé 6 (Ballistic Publising)

ReferencesWorlds and Wonders, Aleksi Briclot, Marko Djurdjevic (préf.), Paris : CFSL ink, 2010 Officiel artist website: www.aneyeoni.comOfficiel DontNod website: www.dont-nod.com

Rose of Sarifal Book cover

of the same-named novel in the world of

Dungeons and Dragons / Forgotten Realms © 1995 - 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC

a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.All Rights Reserved

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TECHNICAL SHEETExhibition material

Summary list of the material (full inventory available upon request). Sketchbooks• Eighteen sketchbooks included in eighteen boxes

Plexiglas boxes for sketchbooks• Four 45x35.5 cm boxes• Two 45x32.5 cm boxes• Two 45x36 cm boxes• Seven 25x21 cm boxes• Three 25x19.5 cm boxes

Framed original drawingsAcrylic painting• One 70.5x60.5 cm• Two 55x40 cm• One 50x41 cm• One 44.5x32.5 cm

Watercolor• One 32.5x24.5 cm

Ink• One 32.5x45 cm• Nine 32.5x24 cm• One 53x43 cm• Eleven 44.5x32.5 cm

Pencil• Three 32.5x24 cm• Two 24.5 x32.5 cm• Four 44.5x32.5 cm• One 32.5x23.5 cm• One 32x24 cm• One 43x53 cm

Images screen-printed onto aluminium• Five 110x180 cm• One 80x100 cm• Five 50x50 cm• Four 100x70 cm• Thirty-eight 80x60 cm• Eleven 60x80 cm

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Framed digital pictures• One 50x50 cm• One 50x40 cm• One 35x75 cm• Eleven 70x50 cm• One 60x50 cm• One 55x45 cm• One 30x60 cm• Five 40x30 cm

3D-Statue• Une statue de 30x30x50 cm

Video trailer• One 2 hours DVD

Remember Me video game• Remember Me video game (on PS3 or PC)

Exhibition texts:• Eight 100x70cm panels presenting the exhibition• One presentation panel of the Maison d’Ailleurs• Cartels of all works : 6x12 cm each

Associated equipment:• Pedagogical sheets to download on : http://www.ailleurs.ch/mediation- culturelle/dossiers-pedagogiques/

• Exhibition catalogues (depending on our final stock).

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Fees

The amount of Genesis : From Sketches to Artwork’s rental fees is CHF 6’000.- (or 5’000 €).

Installation and dismantling are included in the rental fees.Shipping (way and back) and insurances (“Nail to Nail”) shall be a matter for the renter.

It is also the renter’s responsibility to invite at least two people from the museum for installing the exhibition and to participate at the opening ceremony. Travel, accomodation and per diem expenses are also a matter for the renter.

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Press Release

Le 24H - Daily / Weekly Press28.02.2013

L’Est Republicain - Daily / Weekly Press11. 03. 2012

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La Liberté - Daily / Weekly Press02.03.2013

Le Temps - Daily Press 28. 03. 2013

L’Hebdo - Weekly Press07.03.2013

Le Matin - Daily / Weekly Press28. 02. 2013

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L’Express / L’Impartial - Daily / Weekly Press28. 02. 2013

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Maison d’AilleursMuseum of Science Fiction, Utopia and Extraordinary Journeys

Piazza Pestalozzi 14PO Box 945CH - 1401 Yverdon-les-BainsT : +41 24 425 64 38 F : +41 24 425 65 75www.ailleurs.ch – maison@ailleurs.ch

ContactMarc AtallahDirector of Maison d’AilleursT : +41 79 552 94 45 - matallah@ailleurs.ch