The curator of the exhibition Mary Madec has already arranged with the label untitled (2016) twenty exhibitions of young artists in France and in Mexico city. Every once in a peculiar place, not in a gallery. Leopoldine , its 19th exposure to the atmosphere carnivore, and decadent, invests a haussmann-style apartment building with high ceilings and curtain of red velvet in the very heart of the Eighth arrondissement.
Tom Volkaert, «Logarithmic Spiral», 2018. Nikita Dmitriev
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In his antechamber, the glasses in the shape of a human head by Robert Brambora are installed next to ceramic fruit his followers (Wobbe Micha), as the remains of a feast. The big gloves with the fingers pointed and purposes by Paloma Proudfoot evoke the image of criminals aristocratic like Cruella of Hell 101 Dalmatians . In the dining room, a sculpture ironic of broccoli soup (Clementina Bruno and Ruyin Nabizadeh). In the hallway, an eel convulsant delivers eggs (Paloma Proudfoot). Of the intestine, rolled into a ball, emerges a pair of feet in heavy boots (Tom Volkaert). In the spirit of Hieronymus Bosch, it stands on a shelf. A duck beheaded, plucked and gutted (Beth Collar) waits for his turn to go in the oven.
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Among these works, the sphinx has two sides of Evgeny Antufiev and the installation of porcelain, with the fake fireplace and the puppet, by Lucile Littot, are a couple quite special. Fresh ideas of art brut and folk traditions, Antufiev creates a universe at the intersection of hallucination and of the pagan worship. Sculpted in clay brown, sphinx, scary and smiling, reminds us of the totems of civilization Jōmon, currently exposed at the House of Culture of Japan. Intentionally rough, the faces of the sculptures of Antufiev have a deep individuality.
Evgeny Antufiev, untitled, 2017. Nikita Dmitriev
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Close to Evgeny Antufiev, but more coquettish and eccentric, Lucile Littot takes as its starting point to its lucky Accidents of the escarpolette the aesthetics of the commedia dell’arte. The abundance of knots and butterflies, erotic toys, slippers and other artifacts from the rococo in his installation evokes a boudoir of a courtesan, under Louis XV. But the funny faces wacky cow anthropomorphic, covering the entire surface of the Chances , infuse a good dose of humor to the set. A tender lamb, lounging near the fireplace, the twin brother of the sphinx of Antufiev.
Lucile Littot, «The fortunate Accidents of the Escarpolette» (detail), 2017. Nikita Dmitriev
According to the exhibition curators, Emmanuelle Luciani and Charlotte Cosson, since almost a decade, artists in search of inspiration rely more on imagery prémodernes, rustic and carnival. Leopoldine wants to be the proof: the contemporary art has not finished his dialogue with the history of the item
Leopoldine, group exhibition with Evgeny Antufiev, Hélène Bertin, Robert Brambora, etc, 24, rue de Liège – 75008 Paris Tuesday to Saturday from 11h to 19h, until 22 December. Ring Without a title (2016), 1st floor left.
