Nicolas Polli and his acrobatic objects

Everyone is familiar with the paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo and his allegorical portraits composed of vegetables, flowers, books, and fish. Although his compositions do not assume any recognisable forms, Nicolas Polli’s art does share some common elements with those of Arcimboldo: phantasmagoria, acrobatic circus-style arrangements, the use of food, fruit, and vegetables (especially tubers), and the search for wonder in the arrangement of objects in incongruous and unexpected positions. One factor, in particular, contributes to the setting of the tone of his works, which draws the viewer into the image: the objects are positioned in such a way that they create a precarious, if not impossible, balance. Plates, forks, and chairs are juxtaposed to document a surreal, or at most instantaneous, situation.