Nicole Gravier
Mythes et Clichés (Myths and Clichés) is a photographic novel, produced at the end of the 1970s, in which Nicole Gravier lays bare the stereotypes of the fotoromanzo (an Italian picture romance storybook, t/n), portraying herself in ad hoc sets, while simulating poses and attitudes typical of this popular genre. Her figure, apparently bitter because of a failed love affair, is actually accompanied by thoughts, illusions and dreams. Gravier’s scenes are full of significant elements: the applied collage texts, the presence of further illustrated magazines opened on pages such as “The Proletarian Revolution and Bourgeois Culture”, the constructed settings. On the one hand, Gravier exaggerates the sweet, sentimental character of the images, and on the other she introduces alienating elements that clash with the “pink” atmosphere of the picture.
NICOLE GRAVIER, in Italy from 1976, actively participates in the post-conceptual research on the language of photography and the use of new media as a medium for representation. She develops works linked to Narrative Art, concentrating on the analysis and criticism of stereotypes of female identity imposed by the dominant culture. She did the series Mythes et Clichés (1976-1980), in which she used the expressive code and typical frames of weekly magazines, advertising and photo stories, deconstructing the language into portraits and sets with alienating atmospheres. She has participated in group shows such as Typish Frau (1981); Mannerism. A Theory of Culture (1982); Beyond the Photographic (1999); Altra misura. Arte, fotografia e femminismo in Italia negli anni Settanta (2016). *She was born in Arles in 1949, she lives and works in Milan.