Holiday Souvenirs by La peau de l’ours

Founded by Thomas Ghaye, La peau de l’ours is a Brussels-based gallery dedicated to helping art-lovers begin their collecting journey. This year, within a dedicated space at the fair, La peau de l’ours will be presenting the works of 5 emerging artists who have been invited to create works especially for the exhibition.

This thematic exhibition, titled ‘Holiday Souvenirs’, is curated to inspire a moment of cathartic departure from the stresses of the pandemic and is a refreshing infusion of positive energy. Below we’re delighted to share with you a sneak peek of the 5 participating artists: Adrien Belgrand, Safia Hijos, Julie Susset, Olivia Descampe and La Gadoue.

MEET THE ARTISTS

ADRIEN BELGRAND

Through painting, Adrien Belgrand (1982) documents seemingly insignificant Summer scenes and releases the poetry of our contemporary life. His hyperrealistic canvases bring us to quiet contemplation.

This French painter, affirms the importance of producing unique images and the singularity of the representation. In the process of doing so he imbues fleeting moments with a sense of reverence. Adrien embraces the slowness of a composite practice as an act of resistance to the constant flow of digital images which have come to define modern everyday life.

SAFIA HIJOS

Safia Hijos (1975) discovered sculpture in her adolescence and despite the academic style of her work at the time, (which consisted more of reproducing Donatello-esque busts) her passion for the media was awoken. Safia’s ceramic work explores time along with the importance and imprinting of memories.

While these subject matters are complex, Safia’s work resonates with a lightness of tone. Many of her subjects are handled with a humorous touch, creating a perfect connection between this ancient, artisanal practice and the topical subjects which inspire her work. The offbeat, comic effect of her hybrid, botanic forms is contemporary ceramic sculpture at its most delightfully dreamlike best.

JULIE SUSSET

Nervous, rapid and fragmented, Julie Susset‘s (1984) technique is based on intuitive gestures combining spontaneity and improvisation. The paint is vigorously spread out on the canvas, giving a colourful abstract or, at times, figurative result. The outcome is as dynamic as the movements made in its creation.

It begins in the artist’s mind before she pours her desires and her fantasies onto the canvas. Little by little, the energy rises, feeding off pedestrians, cars, skyscrapers and the noises of the City of Light. The abundance of life in the French capital directly inspires Julie Susset who transposes this vivacity into her paintings, creating a tropical counterpart to this urban jungle. Her desires for ‘elsewhere’ and travel punctuate the figuration of her paintings.

OLIVIA DESCAMPE

Olivia Descampe (1989) is an intuitive artist who focusses on manual processes which she explores through the art of collage and decollage.

This fascination started in Berlin, when the artist discovered an old collection of post cards. Olivia began cutting, assembling, composing, gluing and thus creating a multitude of artworks, revitalising innumerable, long forgotten, images of the past. Guided by her instincts, Olivia works rapidly, and has created more than two thousand compositions in the space of just two years! Her research process to find the images she works with is not led by a desire for narrative, only by her focus on the neutral elements of colour, texture, and theme.

LA GADOUE

The artistic duo, La Gadoue, formed by Audrey Werthle and Eloïse Maës are united to create a design, prototyping and ceramics workshop in Brussels. In an increasingly dematerialized world, they aim to reconnect humans with their environment. They create bridges between industry and craftsmanship by reinventing techniques and processes. Designers above all, ceramics and textiles are their favorite areas of experimentation.

Join us, and feel the glow of these works in the flesh, this Autumn at Affordable Art Fair Brussels (22 – 26 September, Tour & Taxis) – ‘Holiday Souvenirs’ is not to be missed!