The zoomorphic wall relief imperia IV deploys its arms almost symmetrically, extending outwards over a metre and a half. The many facets created by the alternating white, green and black sections lend a geometrical design to this angular body whose arms stretch out along the wall and become jutting projections at the centre. Its shape, delicately shivered into numerous segments, and its jagged outlines imbue it with a decorative aspect that recalls the incessant play between art and the artisanal, citation and its object, which is favoured by Valentin Carron. The piece’s fractured surface, with a mosaic effect reproduced by Carron using his preferred synthetic materials, also contributes to its ornamental character.

Fitting perfectly into the artist’s appropriationist approach, imperia IV reproduces almost identically a piece by the Ticinese sculptor Remo Rossi from around 1962-1964 which Carron discovered by chance in the main hall of a building in Montreux. It was this very late application of certain Futurist inspirations and hence the outmoded character of the work that inspired both an indulgent kindness and compassion in the Valaisan artist.