Exhibition Barcelona 19-28 sept 2024
Clémentine de Forton Gallery
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Art Exhibition “ILLUMINATION”
BENJAMIN DEROCHE – MYRIAM DE LAFFOREST – NICOLAS LEFEUVRE
Curator Clémentine de Forton is pleased to present the works of three contemporary French artists, Benjamin Deroche, Myriam de Lafforest, and Nicolas Lefeuvre, at the upcoming exhibition “ILLUMINATION.”
The exhibition will be held from September 19 to 28, during the vibrant “Barcelona Gallery Weekend,” at the Patricia Canceló Art Gallery, located at 82, C. d’Enric Granados, in the Eixample district of Barcelona (08008). It will feature over twenty works, being exhibited in Barcelona for the first time, inviting visitors on a luminous sensory journey.
The exhibition offers a cross-dialogue between the worlds of Benjamin Deroche, a photographer, Myriam de Lafforest, a sculptor, and Nicolas Lefeuvre, a painter, all enhanced by texts from great writers and truth-seekers. Three artists guided by the path of emotions, in search of an Illumination.
An Illumination that aims to be multifaceted. The illumination that reveals truth. The illumination that brings forth clarity, a sudden inspiration. The illumination that uncovers a hidden treasure.
For Benjamin Deroche, the Illumination of discovery invites us on a poetic journey following vintage photographs from the early 20th century found in an old Vuitton travel trunk. Images sublimated with gold, paying homage to an unknown explorer, to the hidden treasures of the depths.
For Myriam de Lafforest, the Illumination of the spirit allows the sensitive and the intimacy of the human soul to emerge with sincerity. “The more I sculpt, the more I understand Humanity; the energy of the work precedes my consciousness.”
For Nicolas Lefeuvre, the illumination of solar outburst reveals the beauty of shadow. Unaltered serenity. Paintings that are listened to like a film, with a soundtrack. A praise to contemplation.
In all three artists, we find the desire to achieve an illumination of the soul and to share it through the power of their expression. The intelligence of the material, the gold powder that revives memories, the earth and bronze patina that anchor, powerfully and delicately sublimating the luminous journey we are invited to share.
Clémentine de Forton
Painting by Nicolas Lefeuvre
Practical Information:
- Location: Patricia Cancelo Art Gallery, located at 82, C. d’Enric Granados, Eixample, Barcelona (08008)
- Dates: September 19 to 28, 2024
- Opening Hours:
- Every day from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- September 19: Special opening & Vernissage from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- September 26: Evening with the artists from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM
- Website: www.clementinedefortongallery.com
- Social Media: ClementinedefortonGallery
For any additional information, interviews with the artists, or visual material, please contact: Clémentine de Forton, Curator, clementinedeforton@gmail.com, +34 622499918
“I believe in the sacred combination of art that offers both intellectual stimulation and emotional resonance. I believe in those works of art that linger in our minds and invite inner dialogue. Art is alive; it inspires, guides, exalts, and provokes where we least expect it. A successful work of art reveals hidden aspects of our psyche and leads us toward greater awareness.” – Clémentine de Forton
Artist: Benjamin Deroche
The work of Benjamin Deroche is multifaceted, encompassing both photography and painting. In this specific series of black-and-white photographs from the 1930s, enhanced with gold and inspired by the adventures of Alexandra David Néel, he shares what drives him: nature, the sacred, travel, and poetry.
“After purchasing an old Vuitton travel trunk during a trip abroad, I discovered that its lower third had a double bottom that wasn’t original. Inside, I found a jumble of Kodacolor negatives and black-and-white contact prints, a few boxes filled with envelopes from France and the USA, love notes, a travel journal, postcards, and photographs from South Africa and Tibet, along with a few objects. I organized the documents, developed and scanned the negatives I could salvage, and decided to create a kind of inventory as a tribute to its previous owner, a certain Mrs. B., who had apparently acquired this trunk around the 1930s to accompany her travels.
This series should be viewed as a sort of catalog raisonné, a poetic tribute to this woman unknown to me, who stayed with her trunk in places like the Ritz in Paris and New York, on a transatlantic ship, in South Sudan, Bombay, Basra, Mosul, Maputo, on the Tibetan plateau, or on a farm in Colorado’s Smith Valley.”
Benjamin Deroche lives and works in France. He holds a doctorate in visual semiotics and is an associate artist at the Bebest laboratory, CNRS. His works are part of numerous private and public collections and have been exhibited internationally as well as at specialized contemporary art fairs such as FIAC, Paris Photo, Art Paris, Arts Elysées, and Mac 2000.
Artist: Myriam de Lafforest
Myriam de Lafforest’s sculptures embody the power of a surge where strength marries delicacy through an impulsive movement that transcends the spirit. Humanity plays the central role in her sculptures, which she refers to as “Metaphors of Life.”
The titles of her works, such as “IMPULSION,” “CONVERSION,” “FUSION,” “ÉLAN,” “CES ÂMES,” and “INTUITION,” invite us to reflect on the subtlety of our being and our quest for a higher, deeper, more authentic light.
The dance of the bodies represents an upward movement toward the sacred, a particularly important dimension for Myriam, an inspiring and inspired artist who gladly guides us toward Illumination.
The spirit descends into matter, into the earth, and then takes form through her hands to elevate us. Myriam speaks of the artist’s role: “The artist seeks growth, the elevation of the soul, and takes with them those who love their works.”
As K. Jung said, “When I do not know, I let my hand guide me.” This is how Myriam allows herself to be guided by her imagination, without preconceived ideas. Her work expresses lightness and detachment within conscious action.
Within the circle, the person or persons are attached at only one point, giving the impression of incredible lightness—a symbol of harmony and completeness.
Her movement gracefully and agilely expresses the artist’s spiritual quest between heaven and earth, grounding and detachment. A message of love and completeness for Life.
Myriam de Lafforest grew up in a family of artists and early on understood the importance of art in her life, whether playing piano and flute at the conservatory or drawing with charcoal. Settling in Spain, she met Salvador Mañosa, a renowned Catalan sculptor, who became her mentor. He taught her his modeling technique over several years, with a deep desire to pass on his knowledge to his sole student.
Myriam’s sculptures are part of numerous private collections worldwide. Limited Edition 8 + 4 Artist Proofs.
“IMPULSION”, Myriam de Lafforest, édition 8, 50x50x20 cm
Artist: Nicolas Lefeuvre
Nicolas Lefeuvre’s work is a journey between East and West, an exploration narrative, a film with a soundtrack. The artist offers us a unique, graphic language, an evocation of the intimate imbued with Eastern cultures—China, Japan, Southeast Asia—territories where Nicolas lived for nearly two decades.
On paper, Nicolas Lefeuvre delicately works with Chinese indigo ink and Japanese gold powder, allowing them to flow and meet, creating landscapes in these plays of texture and transparency. The gold, the light, brings a contrast to the subtlety of the ink and paper, giving the works a strong presence. A unique elegance. Haute couture. It reminds him of his years spent as Asia-Pacific Artistic Director at Chanel.
Power and delicacy blend in his refined compositions.
The echo of travel is essential in the artist’s creative process, particularly in the materials he uses: Japanese getas, factory rolls, Chinese indigo pigments, Japanese gold powder, Portuguese fabrics and pearls… but also as themes of inspiration: the blue hour, calligraphy, the sea.
Memory distills emotions.
Abstraction is a space where everything is possible, where the senses intertwine—you see the music, listen to the light, touch the story. This is called freedom, and Nicolas Lefeuvre’s art is intensely infused with it.
PRESS
BONART: https://www.bonart.cat/ca/n/44675/iluminacion-un-viatge-a-traves-de-la-llum-i-lart
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