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Ever Generous for each of his exhibitions, François Malingrëy likes to showcase myriad canvases in diverse formats, sometimes overlooked by painted wood panels, and enhanced here with new plaster or bronze sculptures. Accompanying his stages of life — for the models in his paintings are the people he shares his own life with —, the works primarly bear on the upheaval of a new child's arrival and question what it means to be born in this day and age. Even depicting himslef as a somewhat inquiring father — wainting to see what will happen next —, chuming out images of his partner and the mother of his first child, he repeats images of baby's body such that it becomes a stereotype, a sort of generic, sculptural model by its immaculate whiteness, a timeless mythological figure, all the while being the protagonist of an energetic storyboard.
Drawn from photographs, thses babies are reminiscent of putti from history of art and could be likened to ththe figure of a ckeehy, mischievous Cupid. The artist knows his classics, but will not openly share any references, aside from name-dropping Vilhelm Hammershoi and Félix Vallotton, for the compositions of his interiors. Despite their apparent sense of calm, we wonder — worrying slightly, even — about what is coming or about this highlighting of cracks and possibilitiesthat each one might collapse. These intimate settings are clearly outlined, balanced, and often begin — like on a stage — with a piece of scenery. The artist allows a form of almost natural creativve virtuosity to emerge there, especially in the rendering of fabrics, before positionning his characters, whose faces are sometimes hidden, so as not to reveal tehir intentions straightaway or so as to maintain a certain distance. Againt neutral or more narrative backdrops, grounds lit in different densities, the same model is seen adopting several positions from one canvas to the next, alternating between hieratic sculptural poses and lively, dance-like juxtapositions. So it hardly comes as a surprise to learn that he admires Pina Bausch, since the actor's muscled legas and arms or chests convey their vitality — all the while emphasising the idea of a freeze-frame shot.
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Marie Maertens
