SPRING BREAK

MISC invites you to step into a realm of transcendent abstraction with Florent Frizet's solo exhibition SPRING BREAK.

Frizet explores  the intricate, sometimes delicate intersections of transversality, time, absorption and theatricality, drawing inspiration from the theories of Michael Fried, historical imagery, scenes of everyday life, the Lascaux caves in southern France, and the elusive dance that occurs when shadows are cast on earthly ground.

Spring Break is part of a long-term, ongoing work in development since 2016 when the artist first moved to Athens. The primary body of the work is exclusively presented in large-format canvases of 180x120 cm, which is displayed in the main gallery space.

This large format is considered by the artist as the equivalent of an A4 canvas expanded to human proportions. In these works, suggestions or outlines of human figures emerge like echoes from the cosmos, a reflection of the timeless, yet perpetually embryonic nature of existence. Here, Frizet takes on the role of a cosmogonist, delving into the very creation of universes within the confines of each canvas.

Erotic tones underpin the abstract narratives that play out in the works, evocative of Gustave Courbet's famous dissection of the myth of Eros in L'Origine du monde. The artist’s practice, which encompasses live drawing sessions, enables him to infuse the space with the immediacy and weight of Creation. Using photographs both as references and as blended elements, Frizet further enriches the layers of meaning within his works.

 

This process is deliberate, resolute, requiring time and patience. As a result, the artist considers no painting to be either finished or ongoing; instead, they exist in a liminal space.

Moving from the main gallery space to the subterranean level, we are challenged by a new format, Frizet’s choice of horizontal canvases. A new series created for MISC, the canvases were originally worked on by the artist Nicolas Melemis; using this as his basis, plus elements of collage, Frizet transformed the canvases into expressive all-new works. The horizontal format serves a dual purpose: first, it symbolises the artist's interpretation of the event horizon, the astrophysical boundary beyond which an event is no longer able to affect an observer and all elements cascade into a singular hole. Second, in painting terms, the horizontal format offers an expansive landscape in which to transform self-portraits into compelling self-contained narratives, creating a poetic constellation that is uniquely, elegantly and profoundly moving.

 

An omnipresent anima courses through each painting, serving as the element that unifies the individual compositions while creating a strong sense of continuity and connection. Inspired by the intricate geometries found in the 3D atlas of the universe, each painting is a microcosm, a universe unto itself. The shapes within, reminiscent of black holes and collapsing stars, are an immersive experience where events converge upon a solitary point – like the inexorable pull of a cosmic singularity.