Exhibition in photos: Brecht Evens Le repaire de la méduse

Le repaire de la méduse. Brecht Evens. Atelier Michael Woolworth. Paris. December 8, 2022 - March 4, 2023. 

A selling exhibition of Brecht Even's latest work is currently on display at the Atelier Michael Woolworth, which is located a stone's throw from the Place de la Bastille in Paris. Billed as a series of woodcuts, etchings and lithographs from 2020-2023, this collection features a series of 50 unreleased images that will eventually appear in Evens' forthcoming book Le Roi méduse, to be published by Actes Sud BD in 2024. 

The world of lithography is not an entirely new venture for Evens as he previously worked with the Atelier Michael Woolworth in 2016 for the Artist's Edition of his book on Paris in the Louis Vuitton Travel Books series. Evens mentioned that his deep dive into lithography at the Atelier served as a coping response to the strict confinement regulations during the Covid-19 lockdowns in Paris, and that learning about the process and experimenting with these new techniques in a fully equipped studio that exclusively uses hand presses served as creative inspiration during uncertain times.

The pieces on display, all available in limited editions of 25-40 prints, suggest that Evens is an able student who not only grasped the science behind lithography but who has also found ways to apply his unique linework and color palette into the process. Individually, each piece is an impressive marvel of detail, scale and labour, especially the larger multicolor pieces. That said, it is also a rare opportunity to see Brecht Evens' work in strict black and white via the lithographic process. Collectively, the pieces show an artist open to expanding his technical acumen to display his new experiments in the very environment that they were hand-produced, with all of the tools, machinery and paper stock in plain unarranged sight.   

All of the pieces in the show are scanned and listed on the Michael Woolworth website with their individual titles, price, edition number, technique and support information included. Below are photos that were taken at the packed vernissage of the exhibition, taken and arranged in the order of their installation inside the studio.

-Nick Nguyen

All photos taken by Nick Nguyen

A Visit to Family Crumb at Zwirner Paris

by Gerald Heng 

R. Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and Sophie Crumb: Sauve qui peut ! (Run for Your Life)

David Zwirner, Rue Vielle de Temple 108, Paris. February 10-March 26, 2022. https://www.davidzwirner.com/exhibitions/2022/r-crumb-aline-kominsky-crumb-and-sophie-crumb-sauve-qui-peut-run-for-your-life

 

Within a cool calm courtyard in Paris, I find myself outside David Zwirner gallery at Rue Vielle de Temple, set among streets full of small art galleries and chic clothing stores. The gallery is fronted by a small reception area that opens up to a large, quiet, clean white-walled display gallery, the calm of which completely belies what is hanging on its wall at the moment.

The exhibit is anchored by the 'Sauve qui peut' (Run for Your Life) zine designed by Robert, Aline and Sophie on the occasion of the exhibition, interspersed by individual art, sketches and comics by the family - father, mother and daughter for the unitiated.

The zine doesn't pull any punches on the direct outpouring of thoughts  become comics of the three. The story starts with the Crumb's move to France and goes through a whirlwind of stories, touching on Robert Crumb's well-documented love of fleshy female bottoms, Sophie as a child, Aline's sickness and disease and his sharp barbed stab at the neurotic ideal French females. Having not read any Crumb for a long time, and reading the type of comics that I have gotten from the library for the past years, the panels induce a reflexive cringe of 'Oh God!" amidst guilty snorts of laughter in my head. I most definitely enjoyed going through the panels.

 

 In total, there are five complete comics in the exhibit.

Sauve Qui Peut(Run for Your Life) 

The zine written by all three Crumbs describing the period of their move to France and settling in.

 

4 Shades of Abortion   

 A conversation between Aline and Sophie of their experiences with abortion.

Crumb Family Covid Exposé       

The neurotic anti-vax nature of Robert Crumb, how Aline 'accidentally' got vaccinated and dealing with Robert's COVID infection.

Botox Enlightenment, The Latest in Injectable Nirvana

A single page describing the thoughts of Robert and Aline on botox. I would guess the title should hint which way Aline leans.

Old Age and Death

Another single page showing a funny conversation between Aline and Robert about old age and what Aline would do if Robert were to pass on.

 Along the back wall is a montage of single works by all three.

Here one can see the artistic talent of Sophie Crumb with works from 2010 and from 2021. 

 

This particular piece by Sophie from 2021 I would love to have on my wall.

 

Along the right wall there is a series of portraits of UFC fighters by Sophie which is nicely done.

Aline Kominsky-Crumb provided some sketches and reflective views of her situation and mindset.

Robert Crumb included these colored single pieces which look good, but whose context I can't quite figure out.

There are also some beautiful recent portraits by him -- amazing work considering the use of fine lines to create them.

 

 

              I find these older portraits beautifully for their spontaneity.

I will end this blog with a solo piece by Robert Crumb highlighting what I think is the major problem faced by many in today's society.