Christophe Guinet is an urban gardener who fuses popular culture with the natural world by creating sculptures from everyday objects and resurrecting them using elements of the environment. Also known as Monsieur Plant, his sculptures feature overgrown electric cars, Nikes, and Apple computers while others reference Darth Vader, human-plant hybrids, and nothing less than the cycle of life! His latest project entitled Tree Hug includes a series of sculptures expressing audacious affinity for nature.
Bark Vader
Growing up as both a town and country kid, Christophe tastes evolved to embrace urban cultures, such as skate, street art, and fashion, but never left the green lane, developing a passion for plants, especially the cultivation of orchids.
With such fervor for fauna, Guinet channels understanding that nature to create meditative works of art. Extensive travel allowed Guinet to portray nature through different mediums, such as collage, photography, graphic design, illustration, and sculpture, while that practice motivated him to present a current world riddled by industrialization, manipulation, and greed – and how humans adapt.
As ephemeral and fragile as a bouquet of flowers, Christophe's compositions show the beauty of nature through every day and cult objects. He expresses the idea that plants do not think but rather live in a haphazard way from day-to-day. It's in this 'spirit of the moment' that he creates unique plant sculptures and installations with meticulous detail and patience. His dedication to minimizing harmful impacts on the environment is in contrast to society, as companies race to produce newer and more technical products while consumer appetite continues to escalate.
Léon
His works wither and die, creatures of the seasons reminding us of our own impermanence. Inevitable cycles of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age and, eventually, death are stages to be celebrated and glorified by Monsieur Plant.
Wild Hot Rod for the We Love Green Festival, 2018
Text provided by Yasmina Cesco-Resia
