June 18th - July 14th 2021
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Exhibition view, Hairy, 2021. Photo Julien Gremaud.
Exhibition view, Hairy, 2021. Photo Julien Gremaud.
Exhibition view, Hairy, 2021. Photo Julien Gremaud.
Galerie Mighela Shama is delighted to present the exhibition Hairy by Charles Hascoët. Cats, squirrels, crab cakes... but also Furby, that toy from the 1990s, or Alf and Chewbacca, those well-known creatures from pop culture, populate the universe of the painter Charles Hascoët.
Elevated to the noble rank of the portrait genre, these animals and objects constitute the artist’s privileged and personal bestiary. Through them, Charles Hascoët subtly reveals fully autobiographical elements. The artist gives each one a particular symbolism, creating a direct link with his existence and his close surroundings. Individualized and isolated on the pictorial surface, they are drawn up by the artist in a real portrait gallery.
Exhibition view, Hairy, 2021. Photo Julien Gremaud.
Hairy, the title of the solo show that Galerie Mighela Shama is dedicating to the painter, almost takes on the appearance of introspection.
Charles Hascoët, Furby Gris, Oil on canvas, 22 x 27 cm.
In this personal exhibition, the artist returns to his origins, his childhood, but also to more recent personal events that have left a lasting impression on him. Symbolically, the family tree takes on the appearance of a cat tree, his childhood is suggested by the Furbys cuddly toys and the crab cake refers to his surroundings.
Charles Hascoët, Furby Bleu, Oil on canvas, 22 x 27 cm.
A certain melancholy emerges from his paintings. For it is with the eyes of today that the artist tells us the story of all these past events. In an often dark chromaticism, these living beings, these objects, with apparently empty eyes, move forward. Yet they are all guided by a small glimmer of light: it is not unusual to encounter a crab carrying a burning candle on its shell or to observe portraits of Furbys, veiled but with shining eyes. With this iconography, the artist finally translates in a metaphorical way the passing of time and a universal feeling, that of continuing to move forward even when life puts us to the test.
For the artist, more than a surreal vision or a particular irony, these representations allow him to take stock of his life and to embody it through these beings and objects, and this, durably.
Charles Hascoët, Crabe Araignée, Oil on canvas, 22 x 27 cm.
Charles Hascoët, Tennis Ball, Oil on canvas, 22 x 27 cm.
Exhibition view, Hairy, 2021. Photo Julien Gremaud.
Poetically, the artist, full of nostalgia, takes us into his world populated by furs... of all kinds. He also portrays tennis balls with yellow “Hair”, as the artist likes to call them. A dialogue operates between his paintings through their chromaticism and their definite tactile dimension. They are united by their treatment, but also and above all by the particularly benevolent gaze that the artist has for them.
Text by Elsa Meunier
Exhibition view, Hairy, 2021. Photo Julien Gremaud.