"Gribouillis Riso" by Olivier Philipponneau

With Olivier Philipponneau, Les Gribouillis take the form of a strange bestiary. 

The hundred or so compositions presented by the artist offer a multitude of graphic variations on simple shapes and bright colors, in assemblages and reassemblages that give life to a joyful swarm of hybrid and zany creatures. While we sometimes recognize familiar forms, sometimes mineral, sometimes plant, sometimes animal, they are each time shaken up and recomposed in an offbeat, but above all lively and organic way. 

“Doodling” is not so childish! Halfway between graphic experimentation and free invention, it expresses the pleasure of creating without limits, but also the artist's visual research: the selection presented here is only a small part of the considerable collection of “Gribouillis,” which already numbers more than five hundred drawings, numbered in order of creation in a process that is ultimately almost as scientific as it is playful... 

From this infinity of possible combinations emerges an entire ecosystem of imaginary beings, always friendly in appearance, into which this exhibition invites us to dive with curiosity.

The artist's words:
“Les Gribouillis” (The Doodles) were born out of a daily ritual: drawing in the morning, without any specific intention, on paper or on screen. This series brings together digital drawings published directly on Instagram, created at the 3œil studio or while traveling. They embrace accident, distortion, and imprecision. However, the practice of wood engraving is not far off and influences the overlapping patterns and flat colors. Exhibiting these illustrations is also an opportunity to experiment with another printing technique through risography, discovering new color ranges and surprising ink overlays. The characters that emerge from these abstract forms sometimes become the starting point for comic book stories and children's books."