The sculptures of Steph Cop, an artistic walk through the spaces of the Martinez Cannes hotel

The ARO cycle in Steph Cop’s work features emblematic figures that personify the carved tree. Among these various silhouettes, Robur holds a symbolic place. Robur is a steadfast guardian figure: a pillar. He represents the strength of nature. His name Robur comes from the botanical Latin name of the pedunculate oak, the etymology meaning sturdy oak. It also evokes the character of Robur the Conqueror in the narratives of Jules Verne. Steph Cop’s work features various Roburs of all sizes; some are the artist’s guardians of passage points, others have found their place with collectors. The guests of the Palme d’Or at the Martinez Cannes hotel will therefore be able to admire the Robur 173 in oak at the entrance to the gastronomic restaurant. Among the Roburs that the artist has sculpted, there is one that holds a special place: the Robur of Rodez. Indeed, Steph Cop was approached for an in-situ project in the city that houses the Soulages Museum, on the occasion of the Soulages Centenary celebrating the centennial of the master of the Outremer. The majestic sequoia in the center of the courtyard of the Joseph Fabre College in Rodez, which saw generations of children grow up and play, witness to all the secrets that have unfolded on the lands of the Rhone Valley, was showing signs of exhaustion that doomed it to fall to the ground. Its great age makes it the guarantor of the memory of the places, an old convent from the 16th century that will be transformed in the 19th century into a building hosting the Grand Seminary. Legend has it that in 1837, Monsignor Flaget, bishop in Kentucky, arrived in Rodez, perhaps bringing some seeds from the New World that would cross the decades to grow into a tree that became familiar and emblematic for all the inhabitants of the city. In 2019, Steph Cop therefore sculpted the Sequoia at Collège Fabre, as a way of never closing the page of a book that writes a narrative both embodied and imaginary: that of time, of life, of being-in-the-world. During 22 days of sculpting, Steph Cop returned to the tree every morning as if it were a new appointment. The ritual of a long observation, of touching, before taking the tool. The color of the tree’s flesh, a palette of deep browns and roses, revealed its nuances at every incision. The artist had in mind that the Indians revered the giant Sequoia to the point of considering it the axis of the world around which creation had been organized. The tree stands out for its strength, and in particular its ability to withstand fires and to rise from its ashes like a phoenix. 22 days of sculpting to raise the exhausted tree through the incarnation of Robur. This is how art was able to prolong the beautiful story of the hundred-year-old sequoia, through the majesty of Robur 4400, a monumental sculpture exhibited in Rodez during the Siècle Soulages year. A book was published, thanks to the Hatchikian Gallery’s sponsorship, a sculpture journal kept by the artist during this project. The book was kindly offered by the gallery to the enthusiasts of Steph Cop’s work. Robur, since then, has regained that conquering strength that will keep him on his way, and who knows where you will see him reappear, one day… A beautiful story that will allow the Martinez’s guests to appreciate the entire legend of the figure Robur through the example installed at the Palme d’Or.