19 Saint-Savinien Church

Spray paint on canvas sheet, 290 ✗ 200 cm

These canvases, in fact, are sheets—sheets that come more from the wardrobe than from the bed, at least in the moment before their use by the artist, as evidenced by the folds. Unlike linen canvas bought by the meter and on a roll, these sheets emerge from a history and, for those of us discussing them, become the subject of a narrative. White sheets are never truly white, even when regularly and carefully washed with ash or soap. The sheets that serve as both material and support for Michel Dector's works are most often double bed sheets. [...] This light, yellowish shadow, centered in the middle, naturally evokes bodies, the imprint of bodies (and one immediately thinks, perhaps too quickly, of a shroud or the Shroud of Turin); Michel Dector calls it the "gras" (like calling a pencil 'fat'). Indeed, the history contained within these sheets, before they become canvas and painting support, goes far beyond individual experiences—it's the ancestral story of humans, of human bodies that have laid down, rested, slept, suffered, dreamed, made love, had children, and ultimately died. Sometimes there are a few seams, embroidered initials, vernacular marks of a concrete object. Since the fabric is clean, perfectly washed at the very least, it's not just about this anecdotal and circumstantial memory of bodies; it's that and something more extensive—the secret folds tucked away in years of storage, it's the honey of time.