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The opening was held Thursday, December 1, 2011 in the presence of the artist. The exhibition was continued until 31 December 2011.
The artist has presented new works on paper and on canvas as well as site-specific installations.
L’ATLAS is a meticulous artist looking for a certain fineness, both in the form and in the sparing use of color. The eastern thought, that duality is a source of complementarity, occupies a prominent place in his life and in his art. There is indeed a recurrent dichotomy between white and black in most of his artwork’s compositions. Some works have an almost hypnotic effect, the eye takes refuge in the black line to follow the way suggested by the artist.
Since childhood, the artist likes to write his name in different places, in order to make these places keep in mind the trace of his passage. He also appreciates the simple pleasure of the hand’s movement in applying his signature. Refusing a life too conformist, he abandoned his studies in art history, to devote fully himself to his love of writing.
He moved to Morocco to study the art of Arabic calligraphy with a classical master. Then he went to Egypt and met a modern master who taught him how to violate the rules. Back in Paris, L’ATLAS translates this tradition of ancient arabic gesture with contemporary materials such as spray or scotch, on media such as canvas or poster.
The artist reinterprets the Latin alphabet by submitting it to the Koufi’s techniques, which is geometric Arabic calligraphy. He invented a very singular writing, universal and labyrinthine, which is still today a recurring motif
in his work.
The work of L’ATLAS is reconciling, it is like a bridge between heaven and earth, between the city and the man, the outside and the inside. For example, a series of seven paintings entitled ‘Wandering Paintings’ which were created in his studio are regularly transported by the artist during his travels in the great cities of the world, these are photographed in different life’s scenes, which demonstrates their presence in different places where the artist is travelling.
His work has been shown in museums and institutions such as “L’invention du monde” at the Georges Pompidou Centre, “Graphology” at Palais de Tokyo, ”Né dans la rue“ at the Fondation Cartier, “TAG” at the Grand Palais, “Strates” at Maison des Arts of Créteil , “Toiles errantes” at the Ecole Speciale of Architecture in Paris, “Bonjour India” at the French Alliance of New Delhi …
The artist is also represented on the International Art Fairs and Biennials, Art Beijing, Japan House in Venice, Moscow International Biennale for Young Art, Cutlog of Paris as well as in Gallery Magda Danysz Paris-Shanghai, Gallery Catherine Ahnell New-York, Gallery Skalitzers Berlin-Sydney.
