Vincent Gicquel

SLAG & RX is delighted to announce "Autopsy" featuring a new body of work by French artist Vincent Gicquel. This highly anticipated show will mark Gicquel's first solo exhibition with the gallery in NY, and his debut solo exhibition in the United States.

Within this body of work, the artist delves deeper into an imagined realm where human-like figures engage in ambiguous tasks. These characters, with their tragicomic essence, transcend conventional notions of morality and represent the universal struggles encountered in our daily existence.

Gicquel's characters embody traits such as impartiality, guiltlessness, forthrightness, and unrestrained behavior. Through these enigmatic figures, the artist captures our propensity to become entangled in life's absurd preoccupations, as well as our perpetual struggle with inner desires and subconscious impulses. The artist skillfully combines elements of the grotesque with a touch of lightness, employing vibrant pastel colors that interact with shadows and darkness. According to Gicquel, these characters serve as symbols of both his personal odyssey and the human experience at large. Their tasks and burdens are what give purpose to their existence, mirroring the artist's belief that life gains significance through our readiness to confront and embrace adversities.

The artist's distinctive colors, hued painstakingly and overlaying with transparency,
including turquoise blues, emerald greens, softened pinks and yellows, merge together seamlessly in the backgrounds of his paintings. These backdrops provide a subtle setting, where figures appear to move about in minimally rendered, foregrounded vistas. In the forefront, he uses similar colors penetrating through or filling the spaces between more vividly marked, openly depicted figures and shapes that possess a peculiar yet somewhat familiar physical presence.

Although occasionally revealing elements of life's darker side, Vincent Gicquel's oeuvre exudes a certain lightness. The characters, while seemingly burdened, also possess a playful quality, blurring the lines between labor and leisure. The artist's choice of vibrant pastel colors creates an alluring contrast with the shadows and darkness present in the artwork, inviting viewers to engage with the enigmatic activities of the protagonists who seemingly gaze directly at us.