Aggravure is an ongoing series of large wall installations by Baptiste Debombourg. His latest, Aggravure III, was inspired by drawings from 16th century engravers Hendrick Goltzius, Jan Harmensz, Cherubino Alberti and utilizes nearly a half million metal staples tacked to a wall, taking 340 hours to complete. Via the artist:

I then use some images by “worsening” the scale, the form or the context to produce an installation in the architecture by means of staples. The recurring theme in these paintings revolves around the collapse that resonates with staples. Here the staple is a material and a media that plays with contemporary aggression and daily life’s secular usefulness.

You can see much more of Aggravure I, II, and III on his website.

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