In the Sagazan family, the father is in the spotlight. His famous daughter, Zaho de Sagazan, is not the only notable figure in the clan living in Saint-Nazaire to have made a mark through her artistic practice. A taste for creation that the singer, who has recently found great love, has likely inherited from her father, Olivier de Sagazan. In a portrait published by our colleagues at the L’internaute website, more is revealed about the artistic practice of this mysterious man. The 65-year-old artist, born in Brazzaville, Congo, and from a family of the old French bourgeoisie, was originally a biologist before fully transitioning to visual arts in the early 1990s. Olivier Le Moniès de Sagazan, his full name, made a name for himself in contemporary art through his performances where he transforms into a clay man.
In 2024, the artist presented the documentary “L’homme de boue,” which depicts his unique practice of transforming his body into clay in performances. In 1998, his piece “Transfiguration” gained him worldwide recognition: during 350 showings in 25 different countries, the artist meticulously covered his body and face with wet earth to reveal different forms, transitioning from human to animal to disturbing hybrid creatures, as described by our colleagues. This unique approach allowed the family man to collaborate with renowned artists.
Olivier de Sagazan collaborated with Mylène Farmer and FKA Twigs. His artistic practice attracted many curious individuals to the worlds of music and cinema. In 2011, director Ron Fricke filmed him for “Samsara.” In 2016, British singer FKA Twigs, who was then dating “Twilight” actor Robert Pattinson, enlisted the Loire-Atlantique resident for an immersive project. The following year, fashion creators Gareth Pugh and Nick Knight collaborated with the Frenchman on a fashion film.
His most prestigious collaboration remains with Mylène Farmer. In 2012, the close friend of Alain Chamfort worked with the visual artist for her music video “A l’ombre,” where Olivier de Sagazan created a “disturbing visual universe, where his body transformation techniques interact with the dark and poetic world of the singer,” as reported by L’internaute.
The father of the interpreter of “La symphonie des éclairs,” who conducted absurd performances in 2014 and 2017 to denounce the rise of the National Front in the polls, jokes with our colleagues about the creative effervescence in his family: “We talk about it constantly among ourselves. As soon as one invents something, we share it, we discuss it,” he reveals. He is currently touring all over France with his new creation, “Toujours jamais,” where he reflects on his artistic practice of 35 years.
Who is the dancer and choreographer Leïla Ka, the elder sister of Zaho de Sagazan? While Zaho needs no introduction, having been a standout at the 2024 Victoires de la Musique, her cousin Lorraine de Sagazan and her older sister, who performs under the stage name Leïla Ka, are worth mentioning. The former has established herself as a director, while the latter has made a name for herself in the world of contemporary dance. Trained at CentQuatre-Paris and La Garance, the national stage of Cavaillon, the thirty-year-old gained recognition with her first solo, “Pode Ser,” in 2018. Primed six times internationally, it has been performed over 200 times since its creation. Two years later, she created a second piece, the duo “C’est toi qu’on adore,” then in 2022, the solo “Se faire la belle” was awarded the “Choreographic Revelation” prize by the Syndicat de la Critique. Also in 2022, she won the top prize at the Danse Elargie Competition at the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris with “Bouffées,” a piece for five performers.
Choreographing for Beyoncé, the César Awards ceremony, her younger sister Zaho de Sagazan, and the National Ballet of Chile, she stands out with a style influenced by urban elements. On February 3, she will present her fourth piece, “Maldonne,” for which she won the Danse Elargie Competition at the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris and was nominated for the International Dance Prize at Sadler’s Wells in London, on the Olympia stage. “Already performed over 110 times, Maldonne imposes a writing of the intimate and the political, as radical as it is poetic,” the venue’s website details. There is no doubt that talent runs through the veins of the Sagazan family.
