Alex Boucaud from Guadeloupe creates his sculptures using a very unconventional tool, a chainsaw. Alex lives in a small countryside town called Santan. His passion is so unusual that the people in the local community enjoy gathering around to watch him create art with such a dangerous tool as a chainsaw.
Alex discovered his passion for sculpture quite accidentally. Six years ago, he was walking on the beach near his house when he stumbled upon this piece of wood. It caught his attention because of its irregular and unusual shape. He took it home and tried to sculpt it. "I found it very enjoyable," says Alex. He sold that first sculpture because someone loved it and said: "Don’t give it away, just sell it to me."
"Sometimes I take a piece of wood and I don’t know what I want to sculpt, but when I put the chainsaw on the wood, something special happens between the chainsaw, me, and the wood. I sculpt the emotions I feel at the moment. Each sculpture has its own energy," says Alex.
Alex is attracted by wood because of its smell and various shapes. Nature is his source of inspiration. He approaches his work with a simple principle: He never cuts the trees himself. "If you cut a tree, you have to plant ten or even a million trees back," he says. Alex collects wood trunks found on the road while walking or driving. He believes that trees are alive and that nature is an artist. Alex’s choices of work locations are the beach and countryside. Usually people come to see him work because they think it’s special. "There may be people around me watching, but when I work I am very concentrated because I don’t want to cut any fingers," says Alex. When he is done working with the chainsaw, he finishes the sculptures by hand with hammer and chisels.
"My art is about peace, love, humanity, communication, and a message for the next generations. The world is beautiful but we have so many problems, so I sculpt for peace and love," says the artist.
Alex says he finds inspiration in life. Last year, the energy of the Guadeloupan people protesting over economic conditions was reflected in Boucaud’s art. Alex sculpted in the middle of the protestors. The sculpture was called LKP ( pwofitasyon). LKP is the name of the movement, an abbreviation meaning "release against abuses." "Pwofitasyon" in Creole means, "abuse." "I sent it to the leader of the movement because it was not my sculpture, it belonged to the people," says the artist.
Another remarkable sculpture by Alex Boucaud is Kiltirel. It is a call to protect Guadeloupe’s culture for future generations. Alex says: "We have to protect our culture for our children. We have to be able to show them what we’ve done and what our ancestors have done."
The long hair represents force and energy. The large open mouth is eager for communication and expression. Behind the head is a hand meant to keep the head from falling. "That is how I express: ‘We need to keep the culture so that it doesn’t fall’," shares Alex.
Art may live longer than the artist. Alex hopes people would take good care of his sculptures because he invested a lot of love in them. He says: "When people look at my sculptures, I want them to see the energy of love like a bright light inside them. More important than the sculpture itself is the message behind it."
Alex Boucaud was born in 1973. He is a self-taught artist. His work has been shown in Guadeloupe, Spain, and France.
courtesy: Marina Vatav
