04 Jul 2014

Françoise Pétrovitch at Galerie Jordan/Seydoux, Berlin

Between lightness and heaviness, the work of Françoise Pétrovitch moves in a round of playful snapshots and dramatic sequences, poetic yet commonplace. Her themes of children, adolescents, women, dolls and animals are brought together in bizarre and illuminating ways: figures without head or body, hybrid beings, guns and bloody tears. The artist's subtle and ambiguous characters are revealed through patient and detailed observation. Like in a slightly unfocused snapshot, the outlines and fragments begin to tell stories that capture the imagination, taking the viewer into an inner recognition.

The focus of the exhibition are besides the two large-scale drawings 'Snowman' and 'Twins', two new silkscreen prints created this year from the series 'Rougir', published by the gallery in an edition of 24. 'Rougir' ('To redden') is a screen print series in various formats, which is printed solely in red. A selection from the more than 60 different motifs that have emerged since 2005 will also be presented.
With the showcasing of ceramics, each produced in an edition of eight copies, the gallery wishes to provide some insight into the sculptural work of the artist. Several 'Bottes' ('Boots'), 'Pieds-chaussures' ('Foot-shoes') and 'Pistolet' ('Pistol') will be shown. Pétrovitch makes the sculptures with the help of a casting mold, the surfaces are finished with enamel, while each single piece is reworked and custom-tailored by a different colour and enamel coating.


Françoise Pétrovitch, who was born in 1964 in Chambéry (France), lives and works in Cachan near Paris and teaches at the Ecole supérieure Estienne. Her main medium is drawing, which enables an immediate implementation of observations, ideas and emotions. The format varies while the largest are monumental wall drawings that involve the surrounding space. In addition, the artist uses diverse media and materials such as printmaking, video, painting, art glass and ceramics. She had the privilege of being several times invited to produce and exhibit works at the royal Manufacture de porcelaine de Sèvres, one of the most ancient and leading European manufacturers of porcelain.

Pétrovitch shows regularly both in France and abroad in numerous solo and group exhibitions. The recent exhibition venues include the Musée du dessin et de l'estampe originale (Gravelines), the Musée des Beaux Arts (Chambery), the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Paris), the Laurentin Gallery (Bruxelles), the gallery Teo (Tokyo) and the French Institute Alliance Française (New York). For the Bavarian State Opera in Munich she designed the 2011 booklet and poster to Dvorák's 'Rusalka' as well as the poster to Krétakörs 'Ungrateful beasts'.