Figurative works with powerful evocative power, Matthieu Pommier's new canvases invite the viewer to enter a dreamlike, ordinary world populated by anonymous characters. The light and apparent calm create a relaxed holiday atmosphere in places where water and relief dominate. But if you pay attention to the details, this tranquility turns out to be relative: fires, sunken shipwrecks and thefts disrupt these landscapes (...)
In bringing together this series, produced in 2023 under the title "Mercuries", Matthieu Pommier draws on mythological, cosmic and materialistic references. Mercury, the elusive ancient god, is the tutelary figure. A great traveller and messenger, he protects thieves like those who haunt some of the artit's paintings. The planet that borrows its name is best seen at twilight. Close to the sun, it evokes the intensity of light and the heat of summer or the desert. Mercury is also a manufacturer of pleasure boat engines.
With this titles, Matthieu Pommier sums up three components of his series: the journey, the light and the object. But this neologism retains an aura of mystery that fits perfectly with the timeless, nostalgic world of his works.
Élodie Evezard, Diane Gouard, Julie Legrand
Les Têtes Renversantes, Nantes
Extract from the text to be read in full in the press kit
