Under the familiar nave of the Grand Palais, the contemporary art fair Art Paris It gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of a pioneering art form.
Art Paris is one of the largest artistic hubs in the capital and the world. More than 200 galleries and artists come together for three intense days. Contemporary art continues to attract a large following, but what makes each artist unique? Our focus was on textured works, where artists have incorporated mineral materials or dust, while others explore the individual, whether the painted figure or the viewer. Each artist has developed a relevant visual narrative, offering a singular and innovative interpretation of the contemporary world.
Thierry Carrier represented by H-Gallery
French painter Thierry Carrier presents us with elusive oil paintings. Aspiring to be a filmmaker, his entire visual oeuvre is conceived within a highly cinematic universe. Although Carrier paints figurative works, the surrealism of his representations conveys an abstract message. At the center of often deserted, post-apocalyptic landscapes devoid of humans, enigmatic figures hovering above origami figures maintain a withdrawn posture. The artist invites the viewer to interpret the image according to their own feelings. He creates in response to a growing need to meet formal and precise expectations and answers. The underlying message could be that of not condemning incomprehension or the difficulty in identifying what is tangible and what is not.
Maximilien Pellet represented by Double V Gallery
Several pieces from the exhibition "Maistre Deu Jeu" by Maximilien Pellet, a Parisian graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, are majestically displayed under the nave of the Grand Palais. His practice developed within three collaborative workshops where he precisely defined his production technique: ceramics and plaster. The ceramic sculptures representing as yet unknown figures are, in reality, symbols of a medieval mythology specific to the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, where this exhibition was held. The statues are viewed as clues, even keys, to solving a mystery; "the sculptures are staged in a form of theatricality, perhaps a role-playing game from another era, somewhere between the codes of live performance and those of funerary art." The artist distinguishes himself through a fusion process he employs between contemporary art and historical figures of the Middle Ages.
Pace Taylor represented by Double-V-Gallery
Pace Taylor is an American artist who subtly depicts nudity and intimacy with vibrant colors. This still-taboo subject ultimately serves humanity. He illuminates identity at the very heart of human relationships in order to dispel the fear of vulnerability. Nudity is transformed into an ordinary symbol, sublimated by pastels or colored pencils. The vivid and warm tones of his paintings embrace the viewer with comfort, fragility, and positivity. He supports a deeply committed discourse by representing queer symbols in the nudes he draws.
double-v-gallery.com/pace-taylor
Ben Arpea represented by 193Gallery
The French artist, Ben Arpéa, has developed an extraordinary creative technique. His seductive geometric landscapes, with their vibrant colors, seem to emanate subtly from their canvases. He masterfully blends color and material to achieve a textured, even lifelike, result. The collection exhibited at Art Paris as part of a solo show was created using a paint composed of acrylic and mineral elements such as sand. On the linen canvases, one can discern grooves and small clusters of material, creating a discontinuity in the lines and a slight relief. Lacking the opportunity to witness a beautiful, unobstructed sunset in our overcrowded cities, Ben Arpéa has captured the perfect nuances of this fleeting moment, allowing us to relive it endlessly.
Olivier Urman represented Amélie du Chalard
Olivier Urman is a conceptual painter who works primarily with matter. He transcends the intermediate state of an object by reducing it to dust, using this dust as a raw material on his canvas. Each of these decomposed objects is reproduced using paint mixed with this dust. He is interested in the circularity of objects and "the end of things," as he likes to call them. The aim is to illustrate how the world redecorates its environment from the waste of the past, because we constantly consume and then discard. At the heart of his works, the main subject is no longer the object represented but the matter that composes the image. These figurative paintings nevertheless conceal this "crisis of disappearance," this tension between presence and disappearance.
Ricky Dyaloyi represented by Everard Read Gallery
Ricky is a South African artist deeply connected to the vibrant urban landscape of South Africa. He pays homage to all those forgotten yet unique individuals. His brushstrokes meticulously capture every detail, from clothing to build; the figures are consciously conceived and deliberately depicted. His bird's-eye view unifies the landscape, treating each protagonist equally. These individuals contribute to their personal stories while simultaneously participating in the creation of a shared national narrative. Ricky Dyaloyi evokes tolerance through a multitude of stories that explore the human complexity and unwavering determination found within a multitude of anonymous workers.
Ian Salamente represented by Salon /H
Brazilian painter Ian Salamente captivates his audience through a cultural and technical journey. Hailing from Cabo Frio, a city that grew up around the salt industry, Salamente draws inspiration from its history. Salt has become his language for representing the vast Brazilian landscapes shaped by a unique working-class culture. The human condition, with its inevitable toil, is central to his work. References to Brazilian modernism and sacred art merge in these contemporary representations. Symbols of the modern world become signs of resilience and rebellion—a peaceful, artistic rebellion. The artist transforms his canvases into spaces where he exposes social tensions: social fissures and urban margins. The protagonists, depicted as solitary figures, convey their weariness and loneliness, stemming from a certain unease.
Through these unique approaches, an artistic panorama emerges, where artists question our relationship to the world, to matter and to others, whether it be enigmatic landscapes, fragmented bodies, mythological narratives or scenes of life.
