Vessel of Time, made on-site using Nile ochre clay, is inspired by the solar barque of Khufu, discovered on the Giza Plateau, or, more broadly, by the boats buried near royal tombs, serving as ritual vessels to transport the resurrected deceased across the skies. The ‘boat’ theme is recurrent in the artist’s work and symbolises the transition from one state to another, from one temporality to another. It has been elemental in the artist’s sculpture groups since his early years, with the first one presented at the Vuitton Foundation in 2018.

Here, Jean-Marie Appriou takes on the role of an archaeologist by floating an ochre clay boat on the Giza Plateau, a vessel both inherited from the past and looking towards the future. The choice of Nile clay is motivated by the artist’s desire to see the artwork evolve day by day, as the clay cracks with the passage of time. A ‘child character’ accompanies the boat on this ‘eternal crossing’, representing a universal figure looking toward the horizon to create a dialogue between past, present, and future. These youthful and androgynous figures, symbolising the quintessence of humanity, have also been a recurring theme in his work since 2013. The allegory of this child carried by a boat through time and age depicts them as a messenger, sowing the seeds of a hopeful future.