abri, pierre, bois, encre, papier
Fabien Mérelle’s very precise and detailed drawings portray a dreamlike world where the artist’s own imagination is staged in a fantasy setting.
His compositions are painstakingly and almost exclusively portrayed in black ink. Floating in an undefined emptiness evoking the boundless space of reverie, they seem suspended in space and time. And yet, their blunt realism is just waiting to leave the white page and tangibly join our world.
For his solo exhibition at the cccod, the artist takes over
all galleries on the second floor with selected recent works depicting the human figure in a natural, or even wild setting. Fabien Mérelle often features as the protagonist, always wearing his striped pyjamas, a recurring outfit embracing the dramatic quality of the compositions. He uses this character to mirror reality, reflecting his parenthood. His character embodies the reflection of reality; always present in his drawings.
The artist explores the various aspects of this theme with visual proposals that sometimes point to the harmony between nature and humans. This synergistic relationship between a species and its natural environment is sometimes seen in terms of freedom, but the artist also develops contradictory scenarios examining the idea of shelter, therefore calling upon the instincts of retreat and protection.
This topic is crafted notably though island and cabin motifs. Furthermore it is particularly in line with the place of creation and life that the artist has chosen, since the recurring settings in his works are directly evocative of the Loire, a wild river, with its characteristic vegetation, minerality and flowability.
Not uniquely restricted to presenting recent pieces, this exhibition is an opportunity for the artist to produce new works relating directly to the Loire Valley and using its key materials, limestone and driftwood shaped by the river. Like a return to origins, this artistic gesture is also a way of retrieving recurring motifs from the representation to provide them with a life of their own, rooted in reality.
[Extract from the press kit – 2019]
fabien mérelle
Born in 1981, he lives and works in Tours.
Fabien Mérelle graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts in Paris, and spent five months at the Beaux-Arts academy in Xi’an (China) in 2005. During his stay, he learnt to master the techniques of chinese painting.
Most of his compositions are patiently achieved with black ink. His extremely detailed drawings depict a dreamy atmosphere, where the artist’s personal imaginary is put into light.
Floating in an undetermined empty space, which evokes the infinity of reverie, they seem to be suspended in time.
However, through a striking realism, the drawings could easily escape their blank page to be part of our concrete world.
Fabien Mérelle is often represented as the protagonist, striped pyjamas on, nod to the theatricalness of his works. His character embodies the reflection of reality; always present in his drawings.
Fabien Mérelle’s very precise and detailed drawings portray a dreamlike world where the artist’s own imagination is staged in a fantasy setting.
His compositions are painstakingly and almost exclusively portrayed in black ink. Floating in an undefined emptiness evoking the boundless space of reverie, they seem suspended in space and time. And yet, their blunt realism is just waiting to leave the white page and tangibly join our world.
For his solo exhibition at the cccod, the artist takes over
all galleries on the second floor with selected recent works depicting the human figure in a natural, or even wild setting. Fabien Mérelle often features as the protagonist, always wearing his striped pyjamas, a recurring outfit embracing the dramatic quality of the compositions. He uses this character to mirror reality, reflecting his parenthood. His character embodies the reflection of reality; always present in his drawings.
The artist explores the various aspects of this theme with visual proposals that sometimes point to the harmony between nature and humans. This synergistic relationship between a species and its natural environment is sometimes seen in terms of freedom, but the artist also develops contradictory scenarios examining the idea of shelter, therefore calling upon the instincts of retreat and protection.
This topic is crafted notably though island and cabin motifs. Furthermore it is particularly in line with the place of creation and life that the artist has chosen, since the recurring settings in his works are directly evocative of the Loire, a wild river, with its characteristic vegetation, minerality and flowability.
Not uniquely restricted to presenting recent pieces, this exhibition is an opportunity for the artist to produce new works relating directly to the Loire Valley and using its key materials, limestone and driftwood shaped by the river. Like a return to origins, this artistic gesture is also a way of retrieving recurring motifs from the representation to provide them with a life of their own, rooted in reality.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.