Jan Fabre's Umbraculum: A Self-Portrait Through Drawing

The book 'Umbraculum' accompanies Jan Fabre's 2001 exhibition at Collection Lambert in Avignon, but transcends a mere catalog. Fabre, a visual artist, choreographer, and playwright, authored the volume, inviting contributors like Germano Celant and Rudi Fuchs. However, their scholarly commentaries remain peripheral; the core is Fabre's own texts. His unpublished monologue 'Il croyait' exemplifies his fondness for solo speech, which he extends choreographically into literary soli for his performers. Most significant is 'Dessins/desseins: un autoportrait,' where Fabre declares drawing as the anchor of his work: 'I drew before I walked / on everything and anything. / I still draw, every day, / with the same pleasure, on everything and anything. / But today, I walk: / I walk in my drawings.' This reveals the physical dimension of drawing, evident in early performances like 'The bic-art room' (72 hours in a room covering everything in blue Bic ink), and sustained in his choreographic writing. 'Often I am naked when I draw.' This nudity becomes the literary stake of this hallucinated self-portrait. The review was written by Laurent Goumarre.