David Miguel — Flying Visions — NextLevel Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: September 12 → October 31, 2015

For those who are already familiar with David Miguel’s work, this new exhibition will be a surprise. Momentarily putting aside his dark, precise drawings, the artist has filled NextLevel with a series of large works made of parachute fabric that occupy the gallery’s volumes like Rococo wall hangings, colorful and airy.

David Miguel explores the tradition of the reproduction of fabric in art, which has always been considered a test of virtuosity, whether executed in oil painting or marble. With different themes such as the pleat, the fold, draping and shirring, the artist presents jubilant, generous and sensual shapes in which we sense his pleasure in working the material.

Our attention is particularly drawn to the work’s density: tightly folded and stitched, these parachute canvases retain their original airy character yet cannot deny having submitted to the laws of gravity. Drawstrings fall to the ground and the graceful curves of the drapes would not hold without such ingeniously placed stitches.

The common thread linking these works with David Miguel’s more familiar sculptures is his interest in the real object, the found object that inspires thought and dreaming. However, unlike the artist’s previous works, these do not seek to provoke a social or political reflection. Instead, in an invigorating flight of freedom, the artist lets go of the search for meaning and allows the forms to unfold on their own, carefree.