Last year saw the publication of Construire un lac, faire disparaître des cailloux, porter un chapeau (Build a Lake, Make Stones Disappear, Wear a Hat), a book written by Damien Tran of the duo Palefroi. In a series of short articles with an almost encyclopaedic feel, a small, whimsical community living in the forest recounts its existence. They describe their environment, their games, their customs, and their various, intricate constructions.
The exhibition 'Porter un chapeau' is the visual extension of this book. Palefroi draws on the community's rich programme of activities to compile inventories of plants, hats and birds. It is the perfect opportunity to carve wooden pieces, collect pebbles, mould clay, assemble fabric pieces and draw with oil paints. The duo are exploring these new techniques without inhibitions or expertise, taking their cue from the characters in the book, who have an enthusiastic, inventive and quirky relationship with the world.
BIO :
Damien Tran and Marion Jdanoff have been working together as the duo Palefroi for almost fifteen years. Their practice revolves around drawing, printmaking, painting and animation. They have self-published numerous fanzines, most often using screen printing or risography, which offers them an immense playground. They have held around thirty exhibitions in Europe and Asia. Their films and publications have been presented at numerous international festivals. Tran and Jdanoff have an autodidactic approach to drawing. Rather than minimising this aspect of their work, they have always emphasised it. This gives their graphic projects an air of spontaneity and formal experimentation.