PROFILES

“What my father has passed on to me above all is to be curious about life.”

“I was born in Morocco in 1930. When the Americans arrived during the Second World War they brought their radio programmes that we could listen to as well,” remembers Bernard Taride, who thereby discovered new kinds of music. Living and working in Nice since 1956, the artist made his name through his nail-studded mirrors symbolising resistance and resilience, like grass growing through concrete and gravel. He has also developed an immense passion for jazz, the word itself figuring in his recent “Spoken Words” series of artworks. His son Gérard takes up the story: “At home there was always music. When the Grande Parade du Jazz was on in Nice my parents invited musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson and Peray Heath back to our house.” Gripped by the same passion, in the 1980s Gérard recorded albums and toured with his band Plein Sud. “But what my father has passed on to me above all is to be curious about life, interested in people and things. I love learning, discovering new techniques, there are no frontiers between disciplines.” Gérard now has his own photography, sound, video and design production business called Pure Design, and in its Rue Ackermann premises his own son Adam does sound production for himself and others. “I’ve also passed the passion on to my partner’s son, Andréas, who has taken up the bass guitar,” Gérard adds happily. He designed his father’s big monographic exhibition “Bernard Taride In A Broken Mirror” at the 109 last spring and also showed an installation of his own – a gilded cage – in Galerie Lympia’s “Freedom, Beloved Freedom” exhibition. For him 2019 draws to a close with a concept project at Cap 3000: “We’ve worked with digital native vertical brands, i.e. born online, to create an 8000m² store called Capsule with an exhibition space, a bookshop and outline boutiques.” If there’s one thing the Tarides cultivate it’s creativity!

Par Tanja Stojanov – Photo Bruno Bébert