Anchored in a dreamlike dimension which oscillates between semi-figurative and abstract expressionism, Ben Arpéa’s work questions century-old motifs and canons of classical landscape and still life - reinterpreted through a contemporary artistic language. Between the real and the unreal, Ben Arpéa paints frozen and perfect images, proposing a moving interpretation of pop art and surrealism. Where the Light Goes refers to the notion of temporality in Arpéa’s paintings, inferenced by the representations of sunrise and sunset. This notion is evocative of the earth itself, in a celebration of beauty and nature. Elements of human life are suggested repetitiously in considering how light is a governor of our lives and routines. Arpéa often draws inspiration from suspended moments, gleaned from his travels. The Mediterranean, in particular, is alluded to as its culture and aesthetics serve as a continuous source of inspiration in the artists’ fundamental research around colour and matter. The regional architecture – in the form of arches, windows, tables, and tiles – are reminders of everyday environments and thereby invites viewers to a dreamlike synesthesia and personal journey. Each individual is encouraged to project his or her own memories in an intimate and familiar dialogue. Omnipresent in his creations, the dream becomes a poetic experience that translates on the canvas by singular forms and a meticulous work on colours and textures, infusing his work with a melancholic and unreal softness.
In this exhibition, light is set to have a two-fold meaning, referring to the joyful colours used throughout. Arpéa’s intentional use of colour is created to soothe the sight and soul and is central to his practice. Vivid flat tints, finely textured, offer a dream-like vision, ideal, inviting us to reflect on our relationship with our environment, notably through the prism of social networks. Ben Arpéa creates and paints in a singular atmosphere where the manual and sensory approach is of essential importance. The artist chooses the fabric - jute or linen canvas, allowing for a better distribution of the material - and stretches the canvas on the frame himself. From sketches, he works the material and the colour, mixes the paint with mineral elements, sand, pebbles, then deploys his pictorial language on a large scale, the minimalism of the motifs confronting the large format of the canvas. Beyond their pictorial immediacy, the works of Ben Arpéa are imbued with mystery: from minimal geometric forms, the artist lets us glimpse the trace of a human passage. Thus, showing moments inhabited by man who has now disappeared – suggested but never present.
--
About the Artist
Ben Arpéa (b.1989) lives and works between Paris and New-York. Born into a family of French art dealers and collectors, the artist developed a passion for art growing up in a rich artistic universe. He is self-taught, first learning about design by creating lamps and handicrafts made of elementary materials, such as concrete, before turning to drawing and painting.
Arpéa gained recognition in 2020 with a series of paintings in which he developed a singular artistic language of geometric abstraction which evolved towards the semi- figurative, using flat areas of colour and texture. He pays homage to the figures of modern and contemporary art such as, Tom Wesselmann, David Hockney, Jonas Wood, and André Breton. He is fully part of a new generation of creators from art, design, and fashion, celebrating colour and material in a simple and immediate relationship with the times. He has since exhibited his works in France, the United States of America, Switzerland, and now Dubai.
--
