Christian Boltanski

Christian Boltanski (1944), a french born artist. His works focus the theme of death, the uniqueness of each human being, the transience of life and the absence. In opposition to the notion of individual identity, on the ways in which we strive to create and maintain it, the artist explores the loss of it as a collective experience in which we become numbers. 

"What drives me as an artist is that I think everyone is unique, yet everyone disappears so quickly"

Christian Boltanski

One of the most recent works from the artist is called "Personnes" was made for Monumenta, in Paris. The artist has filled Paris’s Grand Palais with a 50-tonne mountain of clothes, and the sound of heartbeats. This work evoques the idea of hollow, in a space where life doesn't exist there is only the absence of it and of the persons to whom those clothes might belong.

           watch it here:

The artist keeps on exploring other ideas as the "hand of God" the "luck" and randomness of life and death. You can see more examples of his work on these images:

The work of Christian Boltanski haunts our imagination. It is so cohesive that I think is worth to take a deeper look. In case you feel interested I suggest you to watch a film called "Les Vies Possibles de Christian Boltanski", directed by  Heinz Peter Schwerfel which is a tour throughout his work and interviews with the artist. You can find it here.