Viktor & Rolf
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Gareth Pugh
ConcordeThe illustrator/graphic artist Damien Poulain has distilled significant events in politics and pop culture into toy-like objects for his exhibition, Totem 49. He leaves us wondering about the modern day tribes and mythology that we have created.
"Totems traditionally serve as the symbol of a family or clan. What interested me was the symbolism of the totem, the fact that a symbol was used by a group of people and worshipped. I wanted to reinterpret that in a contemporary way with our own codes and symbols." - Damien Poulain
Dazed Digital: How did you choose your 49 totems?
Damien Poulain: The themes of these Totems are events, people, facts and beliefs that have marked our society and me as an individual. They act as a timeline for the 21st century. I had to be selective about what key moments in history, people and landmarks to work with. They represent my understanding of the world.
