Through the use of an impersonal acronym, rt4a embraces a diverse array of practices and identities, fostering a dialogue based on interconnectivity and multiplicity. By chance, when ‘Arty Fouray,’ a potential nickname for Arthur Fouray was transcribed vocally on a phone, in 2014, it resulted in an acronym: RT4A.
Matching the character count of Warhol’s name (4 for the first name, 6 for the last name – with each syllable having a double meaning), it is an experiment with a hasardous, unpredictable, yet arbitrary source material: a given name, consciously deconstructed beyond traditional, ego-driven notions of artistic identity.
By shedding an identity and adopting an impersonal code, a set of letters and numbers, RT4A performs a kind of symbolic violence against the artist’s ego and the cultural capital typically associated with a known, individual artist’s name.
It even becomes a simulacrum – a copy without an original, an entity that undermines the difference between the ‘real’ and the ‘imaginary’. The RT4A project can be seen as an avatar, a fake, complicating the distinctions between artists and ‘constructed’ identities.
As a signature, it embodies a paradox: simultaneously the mark of an artistic act and an impersonal symbol obscuring individual identity. It not only facilitates the incorporation of other artists’ practices into RT4A but also ensures that its creations are not confined to the temporal boundaries of a single artist’s lifespan.
Welcome to the Art World
2023
Pencil and acrylic on cotton canvas
125 x 125 x 5 cm
RT4A2301
Courtesy of the artist
Index
Birds
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2233, Courtesy of the artist
Chunk
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2232, Courtesy of the artist
Distance
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2231, Courtesy of the artist
Fast
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2230, Courtesy of the artist
Feast
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2229, Courtesy of the artist
Formidable
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2228, Courtesy of the artist
Interrogations
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2227, Courtesy of the artist
Mmm
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2226, Courtesy of the artist
Nice
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2225, Courtesy of the artist
Sloppy
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2224, Courtesy of the artist
Spray
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2223, Courtesy of the artist
Yes
2022-2023, Ceramic, 32 x 32 x 2 cm
RT4A2222, Courtesy of the artist
Index
Agreable
2022-2023, Ceramic, 28 x 28 x 12 cm
RT4A2219, Courtesy of the artist
Exclamations
2022-2023, Ceramic, 28 x 28 x 12 cm
RT4A2218, Courtesy of the artist
Hope
2022-2023, Ceramic, 28 x 28 x 12 cm
RT4A2217, Courtesy of the artist
No
2022-2023, Ceramic, 28 x 28 x 12 cm
RT4A2216, Courtesy of the artist
Slash
2022-2023, Ceramic, 28 x 28 x 12 cm
RT4A2215, Courtesy of the artist
Specific
2022-2023, Ceramic, 28 x 28 x 12 cm
RT4A2214, Courtesy of the artist
Treat
2022-2023, Ceramic, 28 x 28 x 12 cm
RT4A2213, Courtesy of the artist
Index
Conservatism kills
2022
Ash, graphite powder and primers on linen canvas
41 x 75 x 24 cm
RT4A2212
Courtesy of the artist
Utilising three pre-stretched and pre-coated commercial canvases, typically favoured by hobbyists or weekend artists, joined together, Conservatism kills emulates the style of mandatory warnings found on cigarette packs. It is a spin on the notorious ‘Smoking Kills’ phrase, recontextualised to critique a pervasive and arguably more perilous mindset.
The canvases, once unified, were further treated with several layers of diverse primers (incorporating five different types). The inscribed text was crafted from a blend of cigarette ash, graphite powder, and a transparent acrylic medium to secure the pigments to the painting.
The triptych, emblematic of classical art, paired with the statement ‘conservatism kills’, presents a delightful juxtaposition. The restrained use of black and white colours, coupled with the Helvetica typeface – which, though now ubiquitous, was once a rare find in typesetting and thus became a symbol of culture during the second half of the 20th century – further underscores a discourse of conservative standardisation masked as elegance.
Index
ScandalE Drama <3
2022
Acrylic on cotton canvases
18,5 x 88 x 2,5 cm
RT4A2211
Courtesy of the artist
Scandal + Drama = Love?
Scandal = Drama = Love?
Scandal/Drama/Love?
Scandale Drama <3 juxtaposes the French ‘Scandale’ with the English ‘Drama’, frequently employed in French to humorously accentuate the melodramatic facets of passions, and a heart. It might be perceived as a reaction to recurrent cycles of personal and often extraneous dramas woven into intricate love affairs. Alternatively, it could be an ode to passion, to love, dramas, divided across three interconnected canvases painted as a cohesive piece.
Index
Foundation
2022
Acrylic and pencil on cotton canvas
61 x 146 x 5 cm
RT4A2210
Courtesy of the artist
Drawing from an observation by an art world colleague, Foundation delves into an analogy. It likens the Apple TV adaptation (2021–) of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation (1951–1993) to the private art foundations of the 21st century. Predominantly, these foundations champion inclusivity initiatives, technological progress and are fervent proponents of ecological activism.
Ecology – inclusivity – technology: Are these pooled pursuits not strategies aimed at preserving Earth’s species, much like psychohistory serves as a preservation tool in Asimov’s saga? Do they not provide a foundational framework for envisioning life on another planet, echoing Asimov’s concept of relocating a scientific intelligentsia to a remote planetary outpost to save a galaxy from barbarism?
Index
At the Dawn of the XXIst Century...
2022
Acrylic and pencil on cotton canvas
120 x 120 x 5 cm
RT4A2209
Courtesy of the artist
‘At the dawn of the XXIst century, art was no passion. What was called “contemporary” was addiction.’
This contentious and seemingly exasperated statement was inscribed with a greasy pencil on a Post-it note, magnified six times its original size. The initial plan involved repurposing an old, unused, and unstretched canvas by affixing it to the main canvas, aiming to simulate the appearance of an actual sticky note. However, this attempt was visually unappealing.
Consequently, the blue square note, borrowing the same colour code of the #aaafff painting series (2014–2017), was directly painted onto the neon yellow canvas, still emulating a Post-it note attached to a bright cardboard folder. After the statement’s initial iteration, modifications were made to make it more ambiguous or ambivalent, revealing the edits and self-censored sections.
Index
IDEA
2022
Acrylic and toothbrush on linen canvas
30 x 113 x 3 cm
RT4A2208
Courtesy of the artist
Simply changing a K into a D, IDEA was as a personal challenge to reproduce complex typography using only tape while inventing the letter D, based on the other letters from the logo ‘IKEA’ only with the help of calculations, rulers and tape. The letters formed by the play on words are painted using a toothbrush. They are then blended into the background by applying matt varnish, evoking the imagery of a rainy day outside a vast IKEA shopping mall – a place designed to inspire new ideas for your interior decoration.
Index