In this exhibition, François Marcadon challenges our relationship to the human body by working on classic substrates like drawing but also on other more unconventional substrates.

Through the use of ink and watercolour, the artist composes drawings with elements drawn from an image bank that he composed over time, and once in a while adds his own imaginary elements. Together, these drawings build up a sort of personal mythology. The drawings are not titled as to not influence the viewer.

He uses the same technique in a 1m50 high drawing fixed to the wall in an oval-shaped area painted in blue. This icon of a life-sized cow, adorned with flowers and foliage, protected by a golden collar and a spotted scarf makes the viewer ask these questions: was it a prepared to be sacrificed or was it rewarded for a bovine contest? Does this drawing allude to Swiss or even Indian folklore or did it come from a fairy tale?

In the gallery at mid-height hangs an unusual hunting trophy, moulded from the artist’s face. The face doesn’t seem to be disturbed at all by the fish moving through its head, and wears a smile that catches the viewer’s eye. The facial expression and the rose colour are symptomatic in the systematic representation of a body and more specifically in a self-portrait.

Lastly, the white vase with flowers shows many flaws: its form is neither definite nor entirely assumed, which is precisely the stake of this work. The artist chose to make the vase with his own hands, gave it an unattractive aesthetic and covered it with black spots, which gave it the name Vase à verrues or “Vase with warts”.