Artists have always sought to go beyond traditional materials, giving new life to what once seemed useless or forgotten.
For Antide, this approach lies at the very heart of his work: a piece of wood found in a forest, an old plank left behind in an attic, a broken clock mechanism, or a fragment of rusty metal become the raw matter for a unique creation.
Covered in gold leaf, these objects are sublimated, rescued from oblivion, and inscribed into a new story.
This practice belongs to a long tradition in contemporary art. In the early 20th century, Marcel Duchamp challenged the very notion of art with his “ready-mades,” everyday objects elevated to art simply by a shift in context.
Later, Arman, a leading figure of Nouveau Réalisme, transformed ordinary objects (musical instruments, watches, industrial waste) into aesthetic and symbolic accumulations.
César, with his car compressions, or Louise Nevelson, with her monumental wood assemblages, also revealed how discarded materials could bear powerful meaning.
Antide follows this lineage but with his own distinct voice. In his art, the object is not only diverted—it is transformed. Gold covers the raw matter, protecting and illuminating it. This gesture is more than aesthetic: it restores dignity and eternity to what once seemed condemned.