Embrace the Bliss of Humdrum Days
Carte blanche to Marianne Dollo, Curator
April 12 — May 31, 2025
with
Chu Teh-Chun, Jack Dunnett, Ellande Jaureguiberry,
Héloïse Piraud, and Pierre Seinturier.
In collaboration with Galerie 22,48 m², Galerie Lefebvre & Fils,
and Galerie Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois,
The serene aura that emanates from the delicately minimalist spaces of this former hôtel particulier—reimagined by Japanese architect Mio Shibuya—has inspired the composite aesthetic of this exhibition. From the rounded angles of the secret room, reminiscent of a sanctuary, to the staircase flowing in soft curves between two levels, this space beckons contemplation. Here, the ordinary moments of daily life are celebrated as precious fragments of time, imbued with a quiet, nostalgic romanticism.
Beneath their apparent simplicity, the selected paintings and sculptures unveil familiar yet deeply evocative realms—intimate spaces or submerged cultural echoes, drawn from a shared, universal language. These works suspend our sense of time, inviting us to inscribe them into our own personal histories.
They speak of feeling, of nostalgia, solitude, sensuality, ennui, escape, and sometimes, of love.
Jack Dunnett’s works, all in intimate formats, explore the human condition through a multiplicity of narratives shaped by pop culture, symbolism, and archetypes. These undefined mini-stories, with their many roots, depict a world imbued with innocence and quietude. Yet, from these spaces arise essences that we instinctively recognize. Neither fully abstract nor figurative, his color fields unfold in a poetic language, revealing a quiet, introspective intimacy. Almost silent, these delicate pictorial gems gradually unveil themselves, their unassuming presence calling us into a state of calm.
Ellande Jaureguiberry’s works, protean enigmas in themselves, stage reality through trompe-l'œil, offering unexpected readings of the world. Whether through drawing or sculpture, he conjures dreamlike objects in constant flux, adorned with Egyptian, medieval, Art Nouveau, and Moorish motifs—or even science fiction references—subtly interwoven with symbols of desire. His use of raw yet diaphanous materials, in pastel shades of infinite softness, leads us into a tactile landscape where serenity reigns.
Animals map the landscapes of our everyday lives. Through her ceramic practice, Héloïse Piraud explores the perceptual link between humans and animals, crafting universal narratives rooted in history, from antiquity to the present. Whether reimagining a mythological chimera, blending elements of various creatures, or reinventing an everyday decorative object, her work revolves around the sobriety of material and its symbolic embodiment. The earth, shaped into rounded, touchable forms in cool, muted tones, resonates with our subconscious longing for simplicity, while simultaneously evoking themes of impermanence and transformation.
Light is inescapably at the heart of Pierre Seinturier’s paintings. It orchestrates his compositions, imbuing them with intense emotion and an introspective atmosphere. His distinctive, near-obsessive architecture—framed by bold black lines—sets the stage for enigmatic scenes, where human figures are fleeting, barely escaping from landscapes inspired by travels, dreams, or fantasies. Like a madeleine de Proust, each painting opens a doorway to buried memories, reviving a forgotten tenderness in a single image of vibrant, evocative hues.
As a counterpoint to these four young artists, and in resonance with the gallery’s DNA, I wished to present a work by the Franco-Chinese master of gestural abstraction, Chu Teh-Chun. His subtly luminous polychromies envelop us in a dance of contrasts—light and shadow creating a mesmerizing illusion of transparency. Evoking nature’s turbulence—stormy skies, shimmering waters, blazing openings of red, and bursts of white within a soft chaos of vaporous colors—his lyrical and sensory composition invites profound introspection. It reminds us that even the most unremarkable moments of our lives hold the essence of treasures, waiting to be cherished.
Marianne Dollo
Curator