CLÉDIA FOURNIAU: MASHENUP
KÖNIG GALERIE is pleased to present MASHENUP, a solo exhibition by Clédia Fourniau.
October 26 – November 30, 2024
At the core of MASHENUP is Fourniau’s fascination with combining disparate elements, the show’s title an allusion to the musical concept of a mash-up, where different and incongruous songs are blended to create something entirely new. She explores how seemingly unrelated images, materials, and gestures can be brought together to form a cohesive and complex whole. MASHENUP is a playful adaptation of the term, reflecting Fourniau’s interest in disruption and the possibilities of errors – whether through language or in the process of painting itself. For her, the "mistake" becomes a productive force that opens new paths for understanding and creation.
Fourniau’s approach to abstraction has no interest in naturalistic representation, delving instead into the complexities and contradictions of contemporary life, capturing its ambiguities through form, material, color, scribbles, and images. Working simultaneously on multiple canvases, she balances expressive spontaneity with controlled, deliberate shapes.
For the first time in MASHENUP, Fourniau introduces new materials – oil paint, metallic silver and gold pigments, bleach, and matte finishes – adding another layer of experimentation, reflecting her strong connection to the studio practice. Some paintings dazzle with vibrant color, while others recede into a palette of grays and other subtle tones, a disparity that creates a dynamic interplay between contrasted moods and energies within the exhibition. The silver-gray linen canvases in particular adapt to their surroundings, absorbing and reflecting light in ways that make them feel timeless, austere, and yet still alive, with possibility of transformation.
This new body of work invites viewers to engage with painting in new ways, encouraging a slower, thoughtful response. The exhibition resists easy answers, presenting instead a collection of works that consciously avoiding heroic gestures and the grandiose to embrace a more personal relationship, drawn in large part from her own life. This intimate narrative weaves throughout the exhibition, adding yet another layer of meaning to her exploration of materiality, process, and abstraction.