A good friend, Michel Dheurle had introduced me to Miquel Barcelo in 2010. I started writing my Blog in 2012. Barcelo had bowled me over and the the exhibition in Avignon in the Palais de Papes and it was even more impressive because of the setting. There had been nothing about Barcelo for quite a while and then, bingo. One of my favorite art pages indicated that there would be an exhibition in the Thaddeus Ropac Gallery. This time I informed Michel at once and we planned to see it following his return from the south of France.
I got to the gallery a little before Michel did and came in onto this. Apart from the fact that the space was empty, the sun was shining through on these curious creatures. I literally gasped
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| The Gallery Thaddaeus Ropac |
The exhibition which is called
« L’Inassèchement » is not an easy description to translate. The opposite to drying up but can you think of a better word ?
The exhibition regroups 17 recent paintings which explore the life underwater and his island (where he was born) Majorca.
Let Miquel Barcelo describe his work….
"While I sleep or read, my paintings that lie on the floor dry slowly because of the humidity of the island. The time they take to dry is very important. The work may be finished but at times it’s like a puddle, everything can change in an instant.
I have been scuba diving for a very long time. When I work on large paintings on the floor, it’s as if I were free diving. I immerse. I make the right moves or at least I try. I hold my breath, I counterbalance the pressure… Then I come out blowing sea water through the snorkel…or as if…
This would be the tempo of my paintings; the successive minutes of holding my breath.
One might find similarities with other artists. Like with Seurat, the prolonged smear of a Conté pencil or the Morse writing brush, almost noiseless, held at 25° over the rough grain paper: tap-tap….taptaptap…tap…; or with Van Gogh the rhythm of trains arriving at a station in the provinces or in the suburbs, chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga.
Tarataratara tarara; with Picasso, long sentences with abrupt endings: clapping and heel stomping like in the Seguiriya"
—Miquel Barcelo
I think it’s important to know that he is deeply influenced by poetry and in 2004 he showed over 300 drawings at the Musée du Louvre illustrating Dante’s Divine Comedy. I was still working then and not busy visiting art exhibitions. In 2009 he represented Spain at the 53rd Venice Biennale. I don’t think we were there? In addition, retrospectives have been organized at renowned institutions, such as the Centre Pompidou, Paris, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid and the Museo Rufino Tamayo, Mexico. His work is included in international public and private collections around the world. In 2013 he presented his terra cotta works at the Museu nacional do azulejo in Lisbon. In Spring 2016, Barceló will have a major exhibition at the Musée Picasso as well as at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France François Mitterand, both in Paris. Those we will really look forward to.
I went through the book this morning which I had bought in Avignon -a huge catalogue - and it confirmed that this artist is really « one of mine ». But before referring back to the catalogue, the work I saw today was new….he had changed his style and in many respects I liked it even more. Apart from the extremely colored paintings which frankly left me cold…..it’s a dirty orange which reminds of rather unpleasant things….
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| Brisements 2014 |
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| Pop Vert 2014 |
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| Tomates et Figues Coupées 2014 |
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| Manifesto Haptique 2015 |
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| Double Apnée 2014 |
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| Embryologique 2014 |
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| Dans les Plis 2014 |
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| Sipiesca 2014 |
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| Sèche adulte 2015 |
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| Part of a painting to see the fish |
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| Popesca 2014 |
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| Secousse 2014 |
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| Pièuvre Irgazinna 2014 |
Down on the basement floor there was exhibition of
Sir Antony Mark David Gormley. I certainly didn’t know that he had been knighted. He was born in 1930 and is one of the best known English contemporary sculptors of today. If I dared to compare his work, I would do so with Tony Cragg who was born a year earlier. But Cragg’s work is much rounder where Gormley tends to sculpt square blocks. Some I like immensely. Or he uses steel wire and makes structures which are quite beautiful.
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| Quantum Cloud,2000 |
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| Cast Iron 2014 |
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| Strain 1, 2011 |
We left the gallery « feeling good ». Then Michel asked me if we should pop into the Karsten Greve Gallery. I hadn’t been there for a couple of years, so why not. This time an American.
David Smith. « Drawing and Sculpture" :
Acting in Space ». This exhibition which was hardly small, was highlighting his works produced between 1950 and 1960. There was something very « déjà vu » and neither Michel or I were over enthusiastic. Strange as it was, Michel preferred a couple of paintings which didn’t appeal to me and the opposite was true. He was looking at drawings which were not « closed in » and those I preferred were much more confined. One of his sculptures I really did like.
Then we past the old Lambert Gallery which had changed to VnH Gallery.
On the way I looked up and saw this....
With all those flashing neon lights outside I felt, but without saying it, « I’ve done that bit » - but we decided to go in. WOW! We didn’t know who the artist was and yet Michel said the first works look very african. Then we looked in on this. Amazing…..
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| Chalk Fresco, 2015 |
There is a lot about him
Pascale Marthine Tayou on Internet. Michel was right in pointing out that his name is feminine in French ! Must say that I was disappointed with his home page but I’m sure a younger viewer would criticize me for that.
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| Pascale Marthine Tayou |
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| Pascale Marthine Tayou |
« Pascale Marthine Tayou was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in 1967. After periods spent in Stockholm and Paris, he now lives and works in Gant. (Belgium).Tayou belongs to the group of African artists who redefine post-colonial culture and blend experiences of their birthplace with those of Europe. Tayou’s work is extremely varied and consists of drawings, sculptures, installations, videos and performances. Whenever he deals with themes like the origin of his family, his nomadic existence between his African roots and his life in Cameroon, his work has the feel of a diary. He also raises questions regarding cultural and national identity, and doesn’t even leave out more existential issues such as AIDS or the complexity of urban life. Tayou’s profound works examine the permeability of boundaries: he seeks a definition of the self, investigating its character through personal history and social contacts while at the same time examining aspects of economics and migration ».
The more I saw of his work on Internet, the more familiar it became. Quite true, I had seen his installations before - in London at the Serpentine Gallery some years ago. His work is so varied that I would think that there is always something new to discover.
This huge room for instance with a real tree in the middle. Hanging from the tree were glass masks or faces....
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| Tree of Life, 2015 |
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| Mask in crystal , 2015 |
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| Charcoal Fresco 2015 |
On the walls there were pencils and looking up, tubing. All of this was part of the room's installation.
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| Sweet Thorns, 2015 (300 pieces) |
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| Metallic lines 2015 |
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| The tree of Life |
The other rooms featured art or drawings which were quite different from the first two galleries and much more African.
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| Pascal's columne |
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| Diables, 2015 |
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| Love letters (6), 2015 |
Just look at these. Some lovely ideas for kitchen or garden utensils !
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
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| Pascal's dolls, 2008-2012 |
The big question is. Is the work sold or just exposed in museums and galleries? It is so big at times that unless the Rothschild centre bought it, where would it go?
It had been a lovely day. Wandering, chatting and enjoying the different exhibitions in empty galleries!
With all those flashing neon lights outside I felt, but without saying it, « I’ve done that bit » - but we decided to go in. WOW! We didn’t know who the artist was and yet Michel said the first works look very african. Then we looked in on this. Amazing…..
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