Views from the Studio
9 May - 26 June 2021
Frédérick Mouraux Gallery is honored to present a magnificent collection of works of art by Erik Samakh for his first solo exhibition in Brussels.
This new exhibition gives us the opportunity to discover the very special universe of an internationally recognized French artist. Samakh presents himself as a "hunter - gatherer" who brings back what is necessary for his tribe from his quests.
Erik Samakh’s work is born out of a constant dialogue between man and nature. Living in a wooded area in Serre, in the Hautes Alpes, for the past twenty-five years he has literally “picked up” sounds of nature: its respiration, its breath, its light touch… the acoustic dialogue of nature.
Moving stealthily, the artist quickly switches from a sensor to a sensory state.
From touch, to vision, to listening, the artist brings this generous dialogue back to his studio which will become the backbone of his works. In permanent contact with this magnificent energy released by nature, Samakh aims to meet nature’s mysteries and myths. Samakh is one with the environment which allows for his creativity to flourish. Samakh is not alone in his self-portraits, he is part of nature. In his self-portraits, he is shown wearing an African mask with a deer by his side surrounded by a dense forest. Samakh becomes one with the animal in perfect osmosis...
In this exhibition you will discover photos, videos, drawings, totems, “drops” of honey, and mini forests. When the viewer approaches the three-branched tree, it fills the room with the sounds of swarming bees recorded in the artist's forest. This sensory experience instantly transports the viewer to an immediate “elsewhere”. This constitutive set of work of Erik Samakh is becoming increasingly relevant: ecology, eco-system, animal life, the life cycle of insects, aesthetics, representing the whole universe of Erik Samakh.
If the artist's work leans on technology, it is ultimately to better express the urgency and the need for a new and less brutal relationship with the environment.
By awakening in us a sensory universe linked to the natural environment, Erik Samakh presents a remarkable work that will echo our belonging to the great mysteries of nature.
2020 © Erik Samakh
2020 © Erik Samakh
2020 © Erik Samak