La Bête Humaine

What could be said about Stéphane Chaudesaigues that hasn’t been said already ? For almost 20 years now, he’s been involved in tattooing. During those years – a whole generation- he brought tattooing from the darkness of the convicts’ world to the bright realm of art galleries.
It’s no secret that the images he draws, paints, or tattoos are dark, sometimes even disturbing. If he didn’t get rid of them on paper or canvas or skin but kept them stored in his mind, those images would probably threaten to engulf his heart and soul.
Some of Stéphane’s clients allow him to go in that direction. Once they are exhibited on the skin, these dark images are made beautiful – as art can be in people ‘s eyes.
You’ll notice that a lot is said about the artist and not much about the man himself – he wants it this way. However, Stépahne sometimes opens up in subtle and sensitive prose in which he reveals that chilhood pain and and a chronic inadequacy to be heard and understood have made him the man and the artist he is today.
Whether one likes his images or not, the quality of his work si indisputable. It is readily seen and felt. It comes from endless research both in the technical and artistic aspects of tattooing. Stéphane is a workaholic who strives to learn. As a result, his work in stunning.
Through his art and his particular use of images, colors, or shades of gray, he contributed to the evolution of people’s ideas about tattos. Before, tattoos were associated with soldiers or sailors, bad boys or convicts, but now they have graduated to the art collection status.
Nowadays, one does not get a simple tattoo, but seeks a specific piece from an artist, like an art collector’s world, tattoo artists names are as widely recognized and famous as painters’ names are in the fine-art scene.
These last 15 years, Stéphane has let Graphicaderme, he name of his studio, shine in his place. His goal was to create a « tattoo family » in which the artists wouldn’t depend on his name to exist, but have a place at their disposal to become known in their own right.
Today, Stéphane’s work displays new tecniques that mix the beauty of paint with the sting of needles. He is creating a new image that will keep his name on the forefront.
When checking out Stépahne’s website, don’t look for him, because he choose to represent himself as the « human beast ». This is not a mirror trick or another name under whiwh he can hide, but rather an insight into the child he once was and the man he is today, still marked by deep wounds.
The « huamn beast » is a very personal site showing both chilhood ans present day images. One has a tendency to look back on the past, but as far as Stéphane in concerned, il helps him to embrace the future with more serenity. It’s a future that he builds daily by taking care of four to five clients a wwek, lucky people who will get his undivided attention for two or three months until the completion of thier big pieces.
In his shop set in Orange, he only deals with one client a day with sessions lasting 8 to 10 hours straight. Between sleeves and backs, Stépahne also creates some very realistic portraits. His work schedule is full, but he still dreams of some other place where he could touch more people. On the tattoo front, France is still a little narrow-minded compared to the States. Consequently, Stéphane is falling for the American Dream . Who knows where itwill lead him ?
Cécile Rossignol
To increase visibility of his work, Stéphane will attend the following tattoo shows in the States. Long Beach, June 23-25 ; Seattle, August 11-13 (he will be Vyvyn Lazonga’s guest for a week in Seattle) ; Richmond, November 17-19. For more information, go to www. Labetehumaine.fr

Stéphane Chaudesaigues
I had no idea I would lova tattooing so much and that it would govern my life so imperiously »