A tight and off-center framing, ethereal tones, carefully crafted blurs… We thought we knew the vocabulary of the painter Inès Longevial, and yet here we are, puzzled by « Perchée, » her exhibition that begins today at the Ketabi Bourdet gallery.
If the artist continues her introspective research through self-portraits, she shifts from a previously vibrant universe to a minimalist aesthetic, where colors gently blend. Inès continues to explore the realm of sensations, working with the skin, which becomes a membrane between the intimate and the world. In this world, plant ornamentation plays a central role: a pictorial lexicon that questions rootedness and its antagonism through sturdy branches and delicate stems dancing on the canvases.
From dawn to sunset, Inès’ paintings are enchanting. Meeting.
Exhibition « Perchée » until November 10, 2023
Ketabi Bourdet Gallery, 22 Passage Dauphine, Paris 6
What day and time is it? What do you typically do at this time of the week?
« Friday, October 6th, it’s 2:34 PM. On Fridays at this time, I usually start my weekend and don’t do much. But today is a very busy day! »
Your mood today as we approach this third exhibition?
« PERCHED! »
Your Proustian madeleine?
« The smell of the forest in the autumn, in the morning, in pajamas with a hot coffee. »
Your first aesthetic shock?
« I don’t remember it at all, what I do know is that I have hundreds of them every day. »
What has influenced and shaped your taste?
« It’s a big question of philosophy and psychoanalysis, which I couldn’t answer in one sentence. I think, quite modestly, we can say the era in which we live, my upbringing, my subconscious, and my personal experiences. »
How do you play with color?
« My choice of color is deeply linked to my mood. My color palette and the combinations I use are often influenced by my current emotional state. I’m guided by an intuitive desire. »
A color range that has followed you since forever?
« A stormy blue-gray, a nymph’s thigh pink, and a myrtle green. »
Why this leaning toward self-portraits?
« Self-portrait is just a pretext. I have an insatiable flow of painting. In art, there are only three themes: life, love, death. My self-portrait is the only thing that belongs only to me, on which I can project these themes according to my desires and with complete freedom. »
How was your exhibition conceived?
« As I have had serious vision problems since I was very young, I have always looked more at the parts than the whole. I built this exhibition like a mosaic to reassemble. Large figures perched in the trees, shadows of leaves or scars, body parts, blue ants, fluffy birds, a pink pinecone… »
Does this exhibition represent a turning point in your work?
« Not necessarily a turning point, but more of a continuation. From the beginning, I have always sought to explore new ideas, techniques, and concepts. Each new series of works I create is a step in this ongoing evolution. So, this exhibition represents the natural continuation of my artistic journey. »
What feeds your creative moods?
« My failures, my desires, my expectations. I find inspiration in everything and anything. »
The book or magazine you love to flip through?
« At the moment, I’m flipping through ‘Chats d’atelier’ by Leonore Fini. »
YOUR LAST THREE ARTISTIC FAVORITES?
« Over the Rainbow » exhibition, Centre Pompidou
A fashion show?
« A few years ago, I loved fashion, and I could draw inspiration from it, but that’s no longer the case today. »
An art exhibition?
« Over the Rainbow, at the Centre Pompidou. »
A film?
« Our Body by Claire Simon. »
3 PIECES TO FIND ON LEBONCOIN ?
The latest designer you spotted?
« Alexander Kirkeby. »
Collection of glasses by Alexander Kirkeby © Claus Troelsgaard
3 INSPIRING INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS?
The artists or personalities you’d like to have dinner with?
« Dali, Gala, Kurt Cobain, Simone de Beauvoir, Billie Holiday, Albert Camus, Frida Kahlo, Amy Winehouse, Léonore Fini, Paul Verlaine, and me under the table. »
Three timeless clothing items?
« Jeans, a white cotton panty hanging loose, and the T-shirt my mother gave birth to me in. »
The last place that impressed you or one you would like to discover?
« Vivace restaurant in Trébeurden. »
A film set that struck you?
« The opening of ‘Talk to Her’ by Pedro Almodóvar. »
For or against Instagram?
« I don’t presume to choose a side; I use it as a diary to spontaneously share my work. »
« Waiting for your call », 2020 © Inès Longevial
