Stéphane Calais Curates 'Une expédition' at Fondation d'entreprise Ricard

At Fondation d'entreprise Ricard in Paris, artist Stéphane Calais curated the group exhibition 'Une expédition' from March 18 to April 11, 2009. The show featured graphic works by Julien Carreyn, Isabelle Cornaro, Antoine Marquis, and Aurélie Salavert, whom Calais grouped under a 'transhistorical' approach to drawing not tied to a single form. Aurélie Salavert presented small, seemingly spontaneous sketches that are in fact preconceived and mental. Julien Carreyn and Antoine Marquis, who have collaborated for years, impose strict rules: Marquis creates flat, tedious drawings in acrylic and oil on paper that reenact pornographic scenes with animals, using all shades of gray; Carreyn works in small formats, mixes drawing and photography, and draws with his left hand or upside down. His series 'Ludwig' depicts nude young girls in an empty house, evoking a 'sleeping village' concept where a work is finished when it resembles 'the image of early morning.' His portrayal of women references the Symbolist period and medieval archetypes of the innocent madonna and the temptress. Isabelle Cornaro practices a discreet feminism, starting from concrete objects toward a calm, serene autobiographical minimalism. The final gallery juxtaposed these artists with works by Alain Séchas, Roland Flexner, and Silvia Bächli, reflecting Calais's personal and generous curatorial vision.