Lutte des Classes

In March 2026, Greek-Swiss artist Leo Thiakos became the first artist in residence INsitu of the year at Villa Mirage. A space steeped in history - the memory of bodies, gestures, sweat and work. Today, this fragile place seems suspended in time, slowly disintegrating, like a memory that is gradually fading away. It was in the heart of these changing rooms, where the tiles are falling away one by one, that Leo Thiakos set up his studio. For two months, he worked there with an almost ritualistic rigor, beginning by meticulously cleaning the space, as if to pay homage to it before any intervention.he developed an original series entitled Class Struggle, begun on his Greek island of Icaria - whose name echoes the myth of Icarus - shortly after his invitation to Villa Mirage. Conceived and produced in situ, this series takes shape directly in this busy location, transformed into a temporary studio. At once aesthetic, incisive, funny and deeply rooted in social reality, the work dialogues with the site's history and the tensions it continues to resonate with.Known for his controversial work Mot croisé, which earned him a high-profile trial with the UDC - from which he emerged acquitted alongside his curator - Leo Thiakos reveals here another facet of his practice. Throughout his stay at Villa Mirage, we have discovered that behind the sulphurous artist lies an artist with a real and solid commitment, far removed from pomp and circumstance, for whom art is a veritable intellectual weapon. Like a contemporary Gepetto, he conceives his works with patience: each idea is thought out, drawn, recorded before being carefully shaped, often in wood, until it comes to life.For this new series, the artist researched the history of the factory, met with local craftsmen, and even collaborated with them on the production of a multiple which will be presented at the exhibition.We look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition opening on May 1, 2026, the symbolic day of the Fête du

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.