Structures et éclats

Bringing together a series of drawings that, with particular attention to his early explorations, this exhibition allow us to delve into the continuities and transformations in the artist's work.

Abdelkader Benchamma's artistic practice turns drawing into a poetic and timeless space where reality and fiction converge to give rise to new possible worlds. To achieve this, the artist has been researching altered states of matter and the collective unconscious of symbols and myths, both religious and from popular culture, over the last 15 years.

Since the beginning of his career, marked by a clear line and comic aesthetics influenced by figures like Raymond Pettibon, his work quickly leans towards the inclusion of metaphysical elements. His early works showcase violent transformations into indeterminate forms, open to multiple interpretations. This approach to exploring the relationship between humans and the world, through transforming matter, is Benchamma's way of developing existential reflections.

Upon revisiting his older drawings now, we see how the artist depicts matter in a highly sculptural manner, confronting earthly gravity with the diffuse and almost imperceptible force of celestial space. This force gives rise to new materials, unexpected combinations, and incessant transformations. It's a fascination with everything resembling simulation: the imitation of reality, the false, the constructed. This leads to an essential idea: other worlds are possible and coexist, in parallel or within our own.