Sylvie Fleury facts for kids

Yes to All, a 2007 installation on a roof in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the Neon Parallax project.

Sylvie Fleury (born June 24, 1961) is a famous Swiss contemporary artist. She is known for her unique art pieces like installations, sculpture, and mixed media. Her art often uses everyday objects that people love to buy.

Sylvie Fleury's work looks at how we feel about things we own. She also explores ideas about new ways of thinking, often called "New Age." Many of her artworks specifically talk about how boys and girls, men and women, buy things. They also show how people sometimes have a very strong attachment to consumer items and art history. She lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland.

Early Life and Education

Sylvie Fleury was born on June 24, 1961, in Geneva, Switzerland. After finishing school, her parents sent her to New York City. There, she worked as an au pair, helping a family with their children.

While in New York, she met a group of students from NYU. They were making short art films, and she joined them. In 1981, she decided to study photography at the Germain School of Photography. She even worked for one day as an assistant to a famous fashion photographer, Richard Avedon.

Travels and Early Interests

After her time in New York, Fleury traveled to India. There, she learned a traditional Indian dance called Bharatanatyam. When she returned to Geneva, she worked for the Red Cross.

During this time, she used the name Silda Brown. She started collecting items that had a red cross symbol on them. She even turned her apartment into a dentist's office because she found dental equipment at a good price.

Artistic Journey

In 1990, Sylvie Fleury met John Armleder, another Swiss artist from Geneva. She became his assistant. In the same year, they both moved to Villa Magica. This was a large, old house on the edge of Geneva.

In 2004, Fleury, Armleder, and his son Stéphane Armleder started a record label. It was called Villa Magica Records. This label released music from John Armleder, Sylvie Fleury, and others.

First Exhibitions

Sylvie Fleury's very first art show was in 1990. It took place at the Rivolta Gallery in Lausanne. She showed her work alongside Olivier Mosett and John Armleder.

At this show, she met Eric Troncy. He invited her to be part of an important exhibition in 1991. This show was called No Man's Time and was held at the Villa Arson in Nice, France.

Venice Biennale and Recognition

In 1993, Fleury took part in the 45th Venice Biennale. This is a very famous art exhibition. In one part of the show, she had three models walk around Venice. They wore copies of a famous dress by Yves Saint Laurent. This dress was inspired by the artist Piet Mondrian.

Art critics have described her work as "post-appropriationist." This means she takes existing ideas or objects and reuses them in new ways. Her books, like The Art of Survival and First Spaceship on Venus and Other Vehicles, have been shown all over the world. In 2015, she won the Prix de la Société des arts de Genève, which is a special award.

Her art can be found in major museums. These include the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, and the ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe.

Publications

Sylvie Fleury has also published several books about her art:

• Sylvie Fleury – The Art of Survival. Neue Galerie Graz, Graz 1993.
• Sylvie Fleury: Sylvie Fleury. Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern-Ruit 1999, ISBN: 978-3-89322-973-4.
• Götz Adriani (Hrsg.): Sylvie Fleury – 49000. Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern-Ruit, 2001.
• Centre of Attraction. 8th Baltic Triennale. Bd. 1, Revolver, Frankfurt am Main 2003, ISBN: 978-3-936919-87-5.
• Elke Kania u. a.: The Sublime is Now! Das Erhabene in der zeitgenössischen Kunst. Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf/Schweiz 2006.
• Sylvie Fleury. CAC Málaga, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga. Málaga 2011, ISBN: 978-84-96159-95-2.