Emmanuelle Villard's Dual Exhibitions in Lyon and Brussels

Emmanuelle Villard presented two concurrent exhibitions: 'Hugs and kiss' at Galerie Olivier Houg in Lyon (6 November–20 December 2003) and a show at Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire in Brussels (26 November 2003–24 January 2004). Her small-to-medium works feature pop colors, psychedelic configurations, acrylic drips, and glitter, often warping the canvas surface. Villard incorporates the wall context into her pieces, using lighting to cast shadows and creating 'scenographies' that treat the wall as part of the work. In Lyon, the installation 'Focus 1' used suspended plexiglass panels to form a labyrinth that alternately hides and reveals her most seductive paintings, preventing a quick, consumptive gaze. She also placed trestles (Lyon) and white or black canvases on the floor (Brussels) to complicate viewer engagement. The wall motifs reference Victor Vasarely's 1950s patterns. Critic Tristan Trémeau draws parallels to Peter Soriano's sculptures and Bernard Guerbadot's plaster paintings, noting Villard's critical distance from neo-pop aesthetics as analyzed by Éric de Chassey in the 2002 exhibition catalogue at La Criée in Rennes.