Nazanin Pouyandeh and Stéphane Pencréac’h's 'Double sens' at Galerie Sator

The exhibition 'Double sens' at Galerie Sator in Romainville brings together paintings by Nazanin Pouyandeh and Stéphane Pencréac’h, showcasing their long-standing friendship through a visual dialogue. Pencréac’h’s portrait of Pouyandeh, titled 'Stateira' (2021), is a centerpiece, depicting her in a green silk nightie, seated in an armchair against a black background with a geometric rug. The work evokes 1930s melancholy and a sense of lost freedom. Pouyandeh’s precise style extends Persian miniature traditions, while Pencréac’h’s approach is looser yet realistic. Their paintings engage in a 'paso doble,' referencing each other’s motifs: Pencréac’h’s scene of two girls kissing on a sofa with a feline creature recalls Füssli’s 'The Nightmare,' which appears in Pouyandeh’s painting of Pencréac’h’s studio. The studio becomes a metaphor for the mind as a fantasy machine. The exhibition runs until July 24, 2021.