V2

2001, l'Odyssée de mon espace

Avec le V2, je désire provoquer un dialogue, une réflexion sur l'histoire indigeste, indigérée et ses conséquences aujourd'hui.

2001, my Space Odyssey

Since the beginning of 2001, Cécile Coiffard has worked on a series of V2 paintings after visiting the museum of Peenemuende. This is the former secret German base where the first ballistic rockets/missiles ever were developed and launched during the World War II. As a painter she consciously breached a taboo by representing an obvious Nazi propaganda symbol in a studied aesthetic. This lead to various reactions ranging from shock to outrage to anger and amusement. As quickly as if she took a crash course in sociology, Coiffard learnt the current mindset of her adoptive fellow citizens and their thinking about their indigestable (and thus undigested) recent history. More generally, she noticed how, in the long term, taboos could deteriorate human behaviour. In the context of anti-terrorist campaigns and post-Iraq war, it seemed necessary for Coiffard to extend the V2 series, looking for possible connections between history and current events.