PARIS.- On the occasion of Paris Art Basel week, the Salle de Bal opens its doors to the public for the group exhibition Panorama, featuring the new series of conceptual works by Bernar Venet titled Generative Angles Paintings. One room showcases a selection of works by Lee Bae from the Brushstroke and Issu du Feu series, as well as bronze sculptures. The exhibition also presents a dialogue between Jean-Marie Appriou and works by Yves Laloy in a special section dedicated to the Paris Surrealist event, along with a selection of recent works by gallery artists.

Bernar Venet, Generative Angles Paintings

Bernar Venet presents eight radical works from his Generative Angles Paintings series. This project has been ongoing for one year, but he will never see its final results or the finished works. Approaching visual sculpture and based on complex computer coding, these works are digital paintings of images generated by an algorithm. When these paintings are produced, framed, and hung in the Salle de Bal, the artist does not participate or even see the physical exhibition. In this project, the artist discovers an infinity of formal possibilities and unexpected configurations that correspond conceptually to his latest large works.

At the same time, from 12 October to 30 November 2024, Galerie Bigaignon (18 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, Paris) is presenting for the very first time the entirety of Bernar Venet’s Macadam Noir photographic series, produced in 1963. This is an exceptional and radical body of work produced by Bernar Venet between 1961 and 1965, using a variety of media and highlighting the ’principle of equivalence’ so dear to the artist.

Centenary of Surrealism

Although Yves Laloy (1920-1999) never officially joined the Surrealist movement, his works were featured in several group exhibitions dedicated to Surrealism, notably at the À l’Étoile Scellée and La Cour d’Ingres galleries. His work garnered the admiration of André Breton, who owned several of his pieces in his collection, including the one used for the cover of the 1965 edition of Le Surréalisme et la peinture. The paintings of Laloy, presented at the Perrotin and dating from the 1950s and 1960s, are placed in dialogue with the works of Jean-Marie Appriou (born in 1986), whose sculptures explore marvelous and fantastical worlds. Together, these works address themes such as the cosmos, micro and macro worlds, as well as the sea and marine environments—common themes for both artists, who are both from Brittany.

For this exhibition, Lee Bae presents a selection of recent works from the Issu du Feu and Brushstroke series, as well as three bronze sculptures. Lee Bae’s monochromatic practice is a formal and immersive exploration into the depths of darkness. In Issu du Feu, black is materialized through the numerous pieces of charcoal that the artist juxtaposes and glues together. Some compositions, titled Issu du Feu (White Lines), are punctuated and rhythmically highlighted on the surface with small marks drawn in white oil pastel.

The Brushstroke series, which began in 2019, emphasizes gesture. The nuances of black ink create depth on a flat surface, evoking a three-dimensional space through translucent and undulating brushstrokes.

Finally, three bronze sculptures punctuate the ensemble. Extending the Brushstroke series, these new bronze sculptures play with space and become an extension of his paintings. By using the resistant material of bronze, his sculptures transform into artifacts that withstand the passage of time.