CITE PAUL LOUBET
solo show by Paul Loubet
20.04.18 - 19.05.18
At first glance, Loubet´s paintings appear as geometric abstractions: an aesthetic combination of simple shapes and primary colors. As the eye moves across the surface of the canvas and the viewer steps closer, what were once formal compositions become buildings, cars, cats, and characters. Within these moments of recognition, a story begins to build, and the spectator gains the freedom to weave a fantastic narrative within the composition and the exhibition as a whole.
The contemporary works no longer intimidate but instead invite the viewer into a fun and playful, creative and explorative game. Each painting becomes a world that leads to the next. Like passing through levels in a Nintendo game, the viewer-turned-player is drawn into the circuit of these uncanny cityscapes. However, a powerful duality comes to question. What may be in appearance a child's play world is in fact a sly and profound artistic discourse raising complex questions about the social reality inherited by our generation.
While revisiting the work of Modernist urban planners in the early 20th century, such as the city Brasilia, ´Cité Paul Loubet´ reflects upon the morphology of cities, their planning, and the questions that subsequently arise. Is monumentality of scale a transcendant factor in the design of a city? How does the scale of buildings affect the behavior of city inhabitants? Do large urban spaces and sectorization lead to the dehumanization of a city?
Text by Manuela Medina
ABOUT PAUL LOUBET
Paul Loubet is a French artist currently living in Valencia, Spain. First muralist and illustrator, he practices as a painter from 2012. The works of Paul Loubet often describe vital experiences lived by the artist, extracted from his daily life, from his various travels and his childhood memories. If the visual language of the artist seems naive and childish because of the simplicity of the shapes and the awkward cleanliness with which the colors used fit into the objects represented, Loubet puts this confusion to his service to speak, under the sign of the irony and humor, about the world around us.
His catalog of references feeds generously on popular culture: video games, the 80s, tunning, poorly drawn tattoos, advertising signs, graffiti ... Finalist of the prize for contemporary art of Sciences Po in 2017, Paul Loubet receives, in November, the prize Revelation Young Talent Urban Art ADAGP / Palais de Tokyo.
