Iris Levasseur's Monumental Urban Eroticism at Galerie Odile Ouizeman

Iris Levasseur's exhibition at Galerie Odile Ouizeman in Paris, running from September 5 to 25, 2013, presents her recent series of drawings and paintings that capture urban and intimate reality with audacious scale. The works monumentalize everyday scenes, transforming them into lyrical tableaux reminiscent of contemporary choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker or Jérôme Bel. A discreet eroticism pervades, with figures that appear not to have been simultaneously modeled. The confident line, powerful hatching, and sensitivity to urban violence mark a maturity distinct from French tradition. While comparisons to Marc Desgrandchamps or Damien Deroubaix are deemed hasty, a pencil portrait of Max Beckmann hints at German influences. A large mirror executed in charcoal and graphite suggests a future in fresco. The text is by Dominique Païni.