Théo Villeneuve

Some will say that he dances while others will say that he is a warrior. The horned beast rushes upon the man in a habit of light, the latter dodges it, almost always, at the last moment. The world around cheers the man as much as the beast in this fight where the blood comes to cover the thin embroideries of heavy gold on the shoulders of the hero. The camber of the bullfighter is accentuated at each passage of the beast, just as the animal's neck leans to attack better. This macabre art continues for long steps of improvised dance, the cape twirls, and man is no longer man. A sort of trance takes hold of the soloist in this somewhat initiatory fight, until, from the tip of his blade, he agrees to release the animal with a precise blow.

I decided to take an interest in bullfighting and more particularly in the figure of the bullfighter. When he enters the arena, which he fights, then when he becomes a simple man in the modern world. This choice was guided by my Nîmes origins and by the stories told to me by my grandfather who had as a pupil the famous Nimeno II before his admirable death for his art. It is a sort of homage to this man who lived by passion, until it consumes him that I want to present to you through this collection.