“It is obvious that Toguo does not belong to the artistic type that goes in for profundity and complexity. His pieces retain an enthusiasm which is poised to take action at any time. The conceptual framing sets brings about distinct effects of tension rather than merely grafting on slogans, news reports and calls-to-arms. In Fragile Body his choice of the ceramic medium, in and of itself, goes a long way toward explaining his message: life itself is lustrous but fragile. What is more, he places a porcelain rendering of his own head at the mouth of a bottle. Not only does this highlight a lyrical impulse to merge with dreams, it also indicates an individual’s tininess, finitude and fragility. Our environment in the current world is narrowing like a bottle, within which the corporeal body of each individual is confined.” - Zhu Zhu
Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery is pleased to present “Fragile Body”, a solo exhibition of Barthélémy Toguo. The show will open on October 28th and close on December 31th 2017. This is the first solo exhibition of the artist with the gallery following a dual show with Chinese artist Guo Wei in 2010. Curated by Zhu Zhu, the show will include ceramics produced by BarthelemyToguo in Jingdezhen as well as a group of works on paper.
