Philippe Favier's 'Swash Zone' at Ceysson & Bénétière

Philippe Favier's exhibition 'Swash Zone' at Ceysson & Bénétière in Saint-Étienne runs until July 13, 2023. The show features multiple series, including 'Swash Zone' (2022) with glass paintings that parody Jackson Pollock's drippings, presented in deep black frames. Another series of black boxes contains surreal scenes made from cut-out figurative motifs on metal, reminiscent of folk art and Wes Anderson films. A notable installation consists of raw wooden shelves from a hardware store in the Loire region, filled with canvas fragments, amateur paintings, religious scenes, and shoe polish boxes, some with ornate shutters evoking polyptychs. Critic Philippe Ducat compares Favier's approach to Neanderthal creativity, contrasting it with Sapiens' standardization, referencing Ludovic Slimak's essay 'Le Dernier Néandertalien' (Odile Jacob, May 2023).