Edi Dubien “Apparitions sentimentales” exhibition at Galerie Alain Gutharc, Paris

Alain Gutharc has an excellent eye for spotting talented artists. Edi Dubien’s first exhibition at Gutharc Gallery combines paintings, drawings and sculptures, all based on the antithesis of life and death.

Born in 1963, the French artist takes us back to childhood, which can be full of wonder but also very painful. There is this idea of an opposition between tenderness and violence that makes us vulnerable. Playing with reality and fantasy, Edi portrays an animal next to a child, which evokes strength but also fragility for both figures. Although the presence of a recurrent skull, the pieces of work never fell into something macabre or morbid. This very poetical exhibition is based on the artist’s life and reminds us that beauty goes together with darkness. Edi Dubien’s work is something unique, a strong hand that makes him different and notable.

“Apparitions sentimentales” is on view until April 14th, 2018 at Galerie Alain Gutharc, 7 rue Saint-Claude, Paris.

Text and photo Eugénie Devos