Les Voyageurs Sculpture

The sculpture “The Traveler” explores the struggles of loss and hope in migration and life’s journeys. The figure’s large missing areas symbolize the loss of a part of self when leaving home, while the suitcase, a vessel of memory and identity, reminds us that no matter where we wander, our roots remain. Through the Les Voyageurs Sculpture blank spaces, viewers can see their surroundings, symbolizing both the incompleteness and infinite possibilities of life, and embodying humanity’s resilience and exploration amidst loss and progress.

What is Bruno Catalano known for?

Bruno Catalano (born 1960) is a French-Italian sculptor best known for his bronze sculptures titled “Les Voyageurs.” The most striking feature of his works is the missing bodies, yet the figures still maintain standing or walking postures. Suitcases, a symbolic element throughout his work, point to migration, memory, and the continuity of identity.

What is the story behind the Travelers statue?

In 2004, Catalano accidentally lost a chest while casting a sculpture. Inspired by this “accident,” he began consciously creating “incomplete yet complete” sculptures of figures. These works symbolize migration and the loss of travel. In 2013, when Marseille was designated European Capital of Culture, he exhibited ten life-size Travelers statues in the Plaza de la Porte, becoming iconic landmarks of the city.

How are Catalano’s sculptures Travelers a reflection of him?

Catalano’s own life experience epitomizes the “traveler”:

1. At the age of ten, he moved with his family from Morocco to Marseille, France, where he deeply experienced the “sense of identity as an immigrant and a wanderer.”
2. He worked as a sailor in his early years, constantly wandering from place to place.

This personal experience is reflected in the sculpture: the mutilated body symbolizes the part of the self lost in wandering, while the suitcase symbolizes the memory and roots that remain with us. Therefore, “Traveler” is both an artistic creation and a reflection of his life experience.

What does Catalano say the suitcase symbolizes?

In Catalano’s context, a suitcase is not only a tool for travel but also a carrier of memory and identity:

1. It carries home, memories, emotions, and cultural identity.
2. At the same time, it symbolizes the burden and nostalgia of travel, as well as the hope and pride of continuing on.
   The Genoa Museum in Italy explicitly states in its exhibition introduction that suitcases in Catalano’s work serve as “paradoxical containers”: they hold both the weight of life and the hope of the future.

Appearance description of the Les Voyageurs Sculpture.

Cast in bronze, the “Traveler” sculpture depicts two travelers. Their bodies are incomplete, with large areas of cutouts representing “absence.” The figure on the left stands, revealing only the head, shoulders, chest, and one arm. The figure on the right of the Les Voyageurs Sculpture sits upright on a bench, wearing a hat. His bare torso is interrupted from chest to thigh, with only one leg supporting the seat. His arm rests naturally on his knee, his expression serene. A bronze suitcase rests near one end of the bench.

What do the missing parts of the bodies of the Les Voyageurs depict?

1. Loss and migration: The large areas of missing body parts in the sculpture symbolize the “part of self” that immigrants lose during their journey from their homeland.
2. Tornness and Memory: The gaps represent the rupture and pain of migration, while the juxtaposition of suitcases reminds us that memories and roots are always with us.
3. Philosophical Metaphor: These gaps act as “windows into self-perception,” allowing viewers to see the environment and light and shadow through the missing spaces, like the gaps and infinite possibilities in life’s journey.

Production process of making this Les Voyageurs Sculpture.

Want to know how such a philosophical sculpture comes to be? The following picture will provide the answer.

Where to put the Les Voyageurs Sculpture?

1. Public spaces: Such as city squares, ports, and pedestrian streets (the ten Voyageurs sculptures on display at the port of Marseille have become a landmark).
2. International Exhibitions: The Les Voyageurs Sculpture has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, and Arcachon, France, attracting widespread attention.
3. Street Display: A temporary display on Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York, drew passersby to stop and reflect.
4. Natural and Cultural Landscapes: When combined with the surrounding sky, plants, or water, the missing spaces allow the environment to “fill in” the sculpture, enhancing its artistic effect.