Lakeside Picnic

Lakeside Picnic ( And there was no miraculous )

In 2016, Louis-Cyprien Rials immersed himself in the radioactive waters of Lake Chagan, an artificial
lake formed by a Soviet nuclear test in 1965. Lakeside Picnic documents this act, capturing the artist
naked, drying in the sun after his swim. This performance transcends notions of sacrifice or the pur-
suit of physical stigmas, instead embodying a desperate hunger for lived experiences.
Rials’s act is not rooted in memory but in an empirical exploration that continually feeds his practice.
The performance echoes themes from his influences, such as conceptual artist Bas Jan Ader’s ex-
ploration of vulnerability, yet diverges in tone: Rials does not collapse into sadness but asserts his
presence with quiet resilience. The stark juxtaposition of the serene drying figure against the violent
history of the site creates a profound dialogue between humanity and its landscapes.
With its references to Tarkovski’s film Stalker and Marker’s film La Jetée, Lakeside Picnic becomes a
meditation on scars—both personal and environmental—and the persistence of life amid destruction.
It invites viewers to confront the haunting legacy of human ambition while celebrating the raw act of
enduring and engaging with the world’s fractured beauty.