Rising Stars: Meet Frederic and Andrea Daty

Frederic Daty (Paris/Los Angeles-based French sculptor) met Andrea Sáenz-Daty (Los Angeles/Paris-based Performing Artist and Sound Alchemist) right before the pandemic in Los Angeles in 2019. Frédéric was feeling uninspired after many years of great success with his art in Europe knew that he needed a major change to regain inspiration and motivation. Andrea also felt a major change was imminent in her life. There had been major upheaval in his life and knew that something major was on the horizon.

The pandemic hit and although devastating for all, for him personally it was a major wake-up call. Andrea and Frederic were living a parallel life and suddenly were forced to live a life together since the world before their eyes was suddenly shifting, borders were closing and in some ways mimicking the brute force of their paths colliding. The enclosure and stillness ignited a flame for Frederic in the creativity process as the relationship bloomed. The situation actually worked in their favor to create a union of S&D: sound and design and the inspiration started evolving. Andrea’s music served as a catalyst for his sculptures to bloom once again and a new chapter came into fruition.

Andrea introduced Frédéric to the power of sound and music with her plethora of instruments and her beautiful singing voice. She had been singing with The Sound Healing Symphony in Cathedrals throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco and leading sound meditation experiences as the co-founded of Healing Sound Alchemy.  A breath of inspiration filled his collections and a beautiful symbiosis of combined energy inspired them both. The shapes and curves of the sculptures became more pronounced, svelte and « feminine » it was clear that their union was official. The alchemy of melting metal to create exquisite 3D sculptures ignited her music to another level interweaving the array of artistic expressions.

They got married during the pandemic and even during the confinement. It was proof that even in dark dark times, sparks of ignited beauty effloresce. As the collections began to grow the inspiration expanded and the evolving DATY collection: LA Greatness and Decadence was born. Andrea had imparted her love of Los Angeles to Frederic and they knew that an important collection would emerge. Daty was very excited to be working as a husband and wife team to unveil LA Greatness and Decadence at The Other Art Fair in Santa Monica on March 30th-April2nd 2023 at The Barker Hangar.

They are currently represented by MASH GALLERY in West Hollywood where their 3D sculptures will be part of an upcoming exhibition entitled L’esthétique beginning on April 22nd until May 22nd and another exhibition entitled Go Loco opening on June 10th 2023 at the same gallery. This is the premiere of what will be many more Los Angeles-inspired collections and art exhibitions, which will include performances, music including sound meditation and live sculpting.

Before the pandemic hit Frederic was on a major high, selling well with his many galleries throughout the UK, France, Germany and beyond and of course all that came to a halt. Starting a new relationship right before the pandemic and the cultural barrier was not easy. Frederic had deep-set artistic visions that had to become more malleable if he wanted to advance and started to alchemize as Andrea imparted her vision and her perspective onto him. Frederic’s cynical view of the world saw a major innovation as Andrea’s world of sound meditation, positive thinking and mindfulness melded with his.

Frederic Daty- With primary materials, street elements – metal, tar, rust, sand, spray paint – and stylized forms stripped of the overflowing of images that floods us and knocks us, Daty requalify the environment and creates ‘ high reliefs ‘ of steel and shadows by playing with light and three dimensions to recreate an anamorphic world, to the altered and lyrical reality.

Invoking the surrealist world of Hieronymus Bosch, the symbolism of Gustave Moreau or the engravings of Gustave Doré, drinking from the illustrators of heroic-fantasy and science fiction (Moebius, Jodorowsky), fascinated by the light effects of the shadow theater Chinese PiYing, the kinetic art of Tinguely or Shun Ito and playing with perspectives in the manner of an Escher or modern 3D shooting techniques, it plunges us into a world of bubble cities, cities and towns. Roots, from Birdviews where our reality is stylized, distorted, emptied of everything that makes life.

Then only the skeleton of steel springing from the wall and the light playing with the forms and recreating life. The result is a force of narration, a magnetism where the spectator is surprised to try to fill the voids, feels absorbed by the energy released, driven by the movement, the adhesion or the rejection. He rewrites the world, his world.

Daty is the sole artist worldwide creating post-industrial, avant-garde, high-relief 3D steel wall sculptures incorporating performances, music and live sculpting.

“My art is my cure and my way of sharing. It’s an incredible feeling of connection.”

A conjurer of light and shadow, Daty explores the world that exists between nature and technology.

“There are always three elements to my work: the metal symbolizing Mother Earth, the stylized figurative shapes representing the spiritual realm, and the light and shadows that evoke movement and change.”

Inquisitive individual that came from a middle-class orderly family. Always wanted to do things differently than others and his parents never really understood him and he was a lonely individual throughout his childhood. He has a specific memory of being at his brother’s house wanting to paint the forest, but couldn’t because it didn’t really represent the forest. He had a vision of using the natural elements to create the forest and that is when steel came into his life.

Frédéric grew up in the coastal region of Brittany and after graduating from the Brassart School in Tours worked in advertising for 15 years. Keen to explore his artistic vision, he abandoned the Parisian lifestyle and flew to North America.

Andrea grew up in Colombia and had to escape the civil war and came to the United States as a young child.  As a performing artist, she has performed in renowned venues in both Los Angeles and New York City including The Rich Forum, The Metropolitan Theatre, Cathedral of our Lady of Angels with The LA Opera, Walt Disney’s concert hall’s REDCAT Theatre, and Club Nokia just to name a few. www.andreapsaenz.com