The new life of the creator of the Cat [PHOTOS]

The belgian cartoonist Philippe Geluck, creator of the <em>Cat</em>.

June 3, 2020 11h21

Updated at 23h47

The new life of the creator of the Cat [PHOTOS]

Matthew Demeestere

Agence France-Presse

BRUSSELS — “This was not the time for the stuff trash.” The belgian cartoonist Philippe Geluck, creator of the Cat, acknowledges to have put limits to her sense of humor during the outbreak of coronavirus and opted for “positive messages,” thinking of the sick.

Forced to postpone of a year, an exhibition of cats, monumental, which was expected to be in spring on the avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the artist said to have benefited from the containment for the storage of bottom in his workshop in brussels.

It is also hoped that this period will be allowed to “think otherwise” and to imagine a world without “production-obsessed” or “hyper-consumption”.

Q How have you lived this period of confinement since mid-march ?

R I have a great chance, I work in a workshop in the beautiful [a ground floor in the back of the courtyard, spacious and bright with skylights] and I live three floors above. I wasn’t stuck, I was able to make comings and goings. And I have even managed to attract my wife into the workshop to tidy up, make the order. You can’t imagine what I could earn here in 15 years. Everything was stashed in the cupboards, I have everything listed and I found documents that will be very welcome to the future museum of the Cat (planned in Brussels at the earliest in 2023). This time has been very useful.

Q The virus has done 9500 dead in Belgium. How to consider the cartoon on a subject as serious ?

R Those who know my background know that I love the humor trashy, disturbing, incisive. They know that this type of humour is also a part of me. I’ve never had the desire to be clever with stuff gore. I would have been able to, ideas, freak me are placed by the head, but I am not allowed to draw them because I did not want that people who have suffered from this crisis and resume a blow by reading my drawings.

La nouvelle vie du créateur du Chat [PHOTOS]

Philippe Geluck in his vast workshop.

AFP, John Thys

I am obliged to treat the subject in a fraternal way, friendly towards the victims. I had to convey positive messages even if I told on some of the things [the Chat has been particularly supportive of carers are badly paid or blasted the violence against women]. Yes I am censored itself, but freely consented to.

Q What do you think is the main teaching of this pandemic ?

R I have always heard that the economy is life, to live well it is to consume leaves to fuck the planet in the air… basically, it was not possible to slow down this race to the production of excessive and hyper consumption. Yet, here we had the evidence that it was perfectly possible to stop!

It is necessary to take conscience that we are going in the wall with the current system… The pandemic was a kind of low wall which has obliged us to halt before we could take the real wall. This wall there are several different ways to overcome it; it can be screwed, switch to strength and continue to return to the road as before. But you can also think about the wall 50 times greater, which is behind.

Q What is the horizon after the crisis ?

R It is necessary to take advantage of this moment to reinvent a world that is more equitable, less polluting. You have the means to do it ! The world can continue to turn without that there are thousands of planes flying in all directions every day. Invent a part of the work at home to limit travel by car, it is possible ! We have been deprived of consumer goods for two and a half months and it is not dead. In fact, what Greta Thunberg and I used to call him our wishes came true in a snap of the fingers (big smile).