Emmanuel Barcilon: Beyond reflection

At first glance, the works of Emmanuel Barcilon appear to be just simple monochromatic planes of color, but as one moves closer, an unprecedented depth of different, often contrasting, colors reveal itself through the transparent layers.

Barcilon's work consists of layers of pure pigments poured onto the surface, which he then manipulates to make the underlying layers partially visible again. Barcilon sometimes takes up to a year to complete a painting. Layer upon layer without completely removing the previous one. The transparent layers and contrasting colors at the edges of the panel make many nuances of color and line visible. These bring about an almost hypnotic effect. Whereas in the past he usually applied drawings and collages to the surface, this recent series of paintings consists of seemingly monochrome color planes.

The series in the upcoming show will be works of very different sizes. All works, however small, have the same effect; you are sucked in, as it were, to the infinite depth of the painting.

Emmanuel Barcilon (b. 1967, Paris) graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Cergy and currently lives and works in Paris. Barcilon has had several solo and group exhibitions in Amsterdam, Paris, London, Basel and New York. His 2015 exhibition A Turbulent Silence was presented during the 56th Venice Biennale at the Sala Congni de S. Aplollonia and then at Museo di Asolo in Asolo, Italy.