Hatchikian Gallery, which has presented a series of exhibitions dedicated to artists from the graffiti movement in recent years, is participating in the 2023 edition of the Urban Art Fair, an international fair dedicated to urban art, which will take place from April 13 to 16 at the Carreau du Temple hall in Paris, in the Marais district. This is the 7th edition of the event, which particularly highlights female gallery owners and curators: Audrey Hatchikian of the eponymous gallery is pleased to be among the new generation dedicated to proposing original scenographies to renew the way in which artists are presented, by breaking with the practices and categories that have so far codified the presentation of works. Founded and chaired by Yannick Boesso, the Urban Art Fair Paris gives a large place to women: it is led by Morgane Perroy and Magda Danysz on its artistic committee.
Toxic, a chromatic efflorescence artist, honored by Hatchikian Gallery
ESS-STRUCT, 2022 – Toxic
Aerosol and acrylic on canvas
Unique work, signed
H74 x L200 cm
Hatchikian Gallery will also present the artists who have been the subject of exhibitions over the past year: Yann L’Outsider, Nelio, Chazme, and Zabala, who all share the common goal of expressing their artistic vision on both walls and canvases.
Yann L’Outsider: a work on duality
Yann L’Outsider is an artist who composes with duality. His own background is nourished by a polarity between the instinctive practice of graffiti and the craftsmanship of excellence (he graduated from the Boulle school). In his workshop work, one finds a tension between the restless spontaneity that comes from urban art and the more introspective course of pictorial research. His work is oriented towards abstraction and unfolds different dimensions: typographic abstraction through formal compositions around the letter and metaphorical abstraction inspired by the observation of the dynamics of elements, a questioning of space-time and the confrontation of material and immaterial that he seeks to transcribe the graphic vibration, notably in his monochromes of black matter from which the effects of light from the white aerosol emerge. Duality is the driving force of a creative dialectic that animates his works with a singular, fascinating kineticism, with immeasurable and mysterious effects. Hatchikian Gallery presented Yann L’Outsider’s solo show at Quai 36 in 2022 for a Carte Blanche on a long-term basis: an exhibition in three tempos to explore the entire richness of his artistic discourse. Iconic works from Yann L’Outsider’s research will be presented at the UAF 2023 for a discovery or re-discovery of this artist, who counts among the contemporary references of urban art.
PALISSADE #1, 2022 – Yann the Outsider
Aerosol and acrylic on wood
Unique work, signed
H261 x L131 cm
Chazme, Nelio and Zabala are three artists that Hatchikian Gallery is also pleased to present at this 7th edition of the Urban Art Fair. All three were featured in a recent group show by curator and gallerist Audrey Hatchikian at the Quai 36 space.
Chazme and formal abstraction inspired by architectural lines
The pictorial research of Chazme, who lives and works in Warsaw, focuses on formal abstraction inspired by the observation of the geometry of large urban ensembles. A trained architect, Chazme nuances in his in situ works and his canvases the vertical brutality of the postmodern intricacies of a singular chromaticity. This poetic and dreamlike colorimetry opens up unexpected horizons and perspectives while suggesting a critical look at the dehumanizing effects of these fortress-like concentrations that draw the lines of our environments. The subtlety of the artist’s visual language invites us to find the way out of these labyrinths that may only be the allegory of our intimate and unconscious mazes.
IT’S COLD OUTSIDE, 2022 – Chazme
Acrylic on canvas
Unique work, signed
H70 x L70 cm
Nelio between formal minimalism and abstract expressionism
Nelio made his name through his urban practice before turning to the studio. He works with the forms and nuances of abstraction through a pictorial research aimed at coexisting, through remarkable chromatic precision, the a priori propositions that are antagonistic to formal minimalism and abstract expressionism. His evolving series of works on canvas are imbued with a particular colorimetry that the artist carefully leaves open to our subjective projections.
2208181401, 2022 – Chazme
Acrylic on canvas
Unique work, signed
H140 x L90 cm
Zabala, a realism inclined towards the abstraction of the natural element
In public space and in his studio work, Zabala interrogates the materiality and mystery of the world’s landscape. While realism is the guiding thread in the development of his work, his research may lead to a form of abstraction through the macroscopic representation of the movement of elements – especially water. The captivating chromatic atmosphere of his works exudes the vital energy of the magnetism of natural forces: water, the sea, rock, the forest are transcribed into a captivating kinetic of forms and colors.
ROCAS 4, 2022 – Zabala
Oil on linen canvas
Unique work, signed
H89 x L130 cm
The Hatchikian Gallery selection at the Urban Art Fair 2023
Iconic works from the work of Toxic, Yann L’Outsider, Chazme, Nelio and Zabala will be presented by Hatchikian Gallery during this seventh edition of the Urban Art Fair, in a contribution that nourishes interest in the congruences between urban interventions and pictorial research in the studio. The particular way in which each of the artists transitions from the wall to the canvas reveals the genesis of the aesthetic proposition that emerges throughout the work and allows us to appreciate the creative impetus that the experience of graffiti has been able to instil in their artistic approach. The tension towards abstraction and the exploration of the bond between form and color, common to these artists, takes on different dimensions that mark their identity as they assert themselves with the deserved recognition.
Hatchikian Gallery: an innovative approach to presenting art that brings it to life
With great enthusiasm, Hatchikian Gallery approaches its participation in the 2023 edition of the UAF, eager to share artistic emotions with the public and to showcase the talents it supports and highlights. Hatchikian Gallery advocates for an atypical approach that breaks down the gallery’s universe in order to bring contemporary art into motion by offering it unique frames to better highlight the particular magnetism of the artists’ work. Operating since 2013, it was one of the first to develop the concept of itinerant exhibitions outside the walls, in remarkable locations and original scenographies that resonate with the artists’ work. Going to meet curious, diverse audiences at cultural events and contemporary art fairs is also a way of becoming part of a community united by a passion for discovering talent and works that remind us of how precious art is in illuminating our lives and opening our eyes to other dimensions, to subtleties, nuances, and paradoxes that only art can make visible when words are not enough to express the full extent and ambivalence of our feelings.
The Urban Art Fair, a must-attend event at the Carreau du Temple, an emblematic building in the history of Paris
Since 2016, the UAF has highlighted the richness of urban creation. Over the years, the event has become a true cultural gathering with exhibitions outside the walls, live performances, audiovisual projections, conferences and round tables, exchange sessions and book signings with the artists present on the occasion. A resolutely convivial approach, committed to making art accessible to all and reaching out to everyone through an artistic program that is demanding for an unmissable event held at the Carreau du Temple, the former covered market restored and emblematic of the Haut-Marais, which today offers Parisians a multidisciplinary cultural space open to the arts, design, fashion and reflections on lifestyles. This former historical building has indeed transformed into an incubator for innovative scenes for urban events. Furthermore, the Carreau du Temple embodies a rich history. At the beginning of the 12th century, the enclosure had originally housed Templars from the Order of Jerusalem before their dissolution. It was then the home of the Grand Priory of France and a refuge for those claiming asylum. In the 17th century, it housed several hotels within its walls, where aristocrats, bourgeois, artists, and free thinkers lived. During the Revolution, the royal family was once imprisoned there, before the place was partially demolished by Napoleon and transformed into an area intended for commerce. The City of Paris then turned it into a market composed of several squares (silk, household linen, leather, lace...). Under Napoleon III and Haussmann, the architecture of the place evolved into a pavilion of metal, glass, and brick, opening a monumental facade onto Temple Street. In the early 1900s, this market came to an end, partially ceded by the city for real estate transactions. In 1904, the first Paris fair nevertheless took place there. A long decline followed until the decision in 1982, driven by residents attached to the building’s memories, to have it listed as a historical monument to preserve the last remaining building from the risk of demolition. In the 2000s, under the impetus of Bertrand Delanoë, a rehabilitation project submitted to the residents began a conversion, overseen by the architect Jean-François Milou of the eponymous agency. The restructuring was undertaken between 2007 and 2014, with the aim of revealing the hall’s refined metallic structure, cladding it with oak wood. The Carreau is now an essential meeting place for the third arrondissement, with spaces dedicated to events and rooms for sports and cultural activities, offering both the benefits of a public service and a return on investment through its commercial destination. The Carreau du Temple now offers an eclectic program with highlights that are a must-attend event every year, such as the Urban Art Fair since 2016.
Urban Art Fair 2023, a 7th edition with an exciting lineup
The seventh edition of the Urban Art Fair will take place from Thursday, April 13 (press preview from 2pm to 6pm and opening by invitation from 6pm to 10pm) to Sunday, April 16 (public opening from Friday, April 14). The 2023 edition will bring together 36 exhibitors who will present solo shows (Hopare, Vhils, Kraken, Invader…) and selections of works offered by the galleries. Yannick Boesso, president of the UAF, wished that this edition would be a «return to creation» to offer greater readability of the work of each artist. During the event, the facade of the Carreau du Temple will be painted by the duo Lek and Sowat, who also created the poster for this edition, marking a visual identity centered on the letter, evoking both the essence of graffiti and the orientation of the scenographies towards a readability of the approach of the artists present. From April 1st, in-situ performances will expand the programming, including a partnership between the UAF and the M.U.R. (Oberkampf). Several artists will take part in live performances on the Carreau du Temple site, and a tribute to Miss Tic will be presented through the presentation of her works by one of the exhibiting galleries.
Hatchikian Gallery will be pleased to welcome you to the Urban Art Fair 2023 in a shared space with Quai 36 and hopes to give the public the desire to discover the universe and the works of Toxic, Yann L’Outsider, Chazme, Nelio and Zabala. A meeting with art enthusiasts and collectors that we are eager to honor and look forward to seeing the enthusiasm with which we share our enthusiasm for the talents we champion.
