2096/ FORTUNE IS BEHIND US
city | art insiders have enjoyed access to Franck Léonard and his works in his atelier space in Montreuil -- the only place you could find him, until now.
We are delighted to be able to invite you to a show we've had the privilege of curating, at Thierry Poubeau Showroom in the 9th arrondissement.
2096/ FORTUNE IS BEHIND US
Exhibition from October 24th to December 20th
MeetUp with the artist, Saturday November 23, 2013, 3pm.
Regular hours Monday-Saturday 3-7 pm.
SHOWROOM THIERRY POUBEAU 22, rue Milton 75009 Paris
In this show Léonard sets the scene in a not-so-distant future, 2096. You're invited to enter the world of 12 anthropologists who have spent years combing the world's oceans for evidence as to the economic and sociological pressures that lead to a global conflict in the year 2060. They present their evidence in the form of objects and drawings, before disappearing mysteriously near the island Fangataufa, in French Polynesia. Interestingly, this was originally the site of France's first two-stage thermonuclear test, code named Canopus, detonated on August 24, 1968.
More about Franck Léonard
Franck Léonard first came to attention in the early 2000s with his spectacular, large-format drawings. They’re intricate illustrations beautifully rendered in crayons de couleur, encompassing themes relevant to contemporary society, such as violence in popular media, surveillance, data transmission, game theory, and nationalism.
Now Franck Léonard turns his attention to the future, with a series of works entitled “2096/La Fortune est derrière,” in which he adopts an anthropological vision, reflecting on human economic and social activity of the bygone era prior to an intercontinental conflict circa 2060. This body of work -- the anthropological evidence unearthed by future researchers -- comprises documents, drawings and objects.
Léonard is the rare breed of contemporary artist who avoids the limelight while perfecting his craft. He is more interested in cultivating the skills of his many students than putting his work in the public eye.
Franck Léonard (b. 1973) lives and works in Montreuil. A visual artist since 2000, he graduated from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and has taught drawing in two schools in Paris.
His work takes on a documentary and fictional narrative, and includes technical forms (architectural models), with drawing comprising the major part of his work. He has participated in projects such as multimedia WW group and rock band Vitaphone.