David B. Exhibits Non-Editorial Drawings at Galerie Anne Barrault

David B., co-founder of the influential publishing house L'Association, presents his first exhibition of drawings made purely as artworks, without editorial purpose. The show at Galerie Anne Barrault in Paris runs from January 12 to February 23, 2008. The works are Indian ink drawings, sometimes enhanced with colored inks, characterized by a clear line and a constructed, composed quality reminiscent of woodcuts or linocuts. They evoke German Expressionism (Grosz) and the work of illustrator Frans Masereel. A central theme is his brother's epilepsy, which David B. addresses through shamanic, incantatory imagery featuring bizarre idols, stylized wild animals, and symbolic representations of the battle between body and spirit. He also treats war in the manner of Goya or Dix, with images like a bird of ill omen with a scythe-shaped head holding a bayonet rifle, half-buried in a trench-charnier. The critic Philippe Ducat describes the work as lapidary, clear, and direct, like a slap.