Anastasia Bay

Anastasia Bay’s paintings present scenes borrowed from theater, opera or the carnivalesque scenes of Ensor or Brueghel the Elder. Her characters embody the irony of overturning society's established roles and norms at these moments of popular gathering. Bay’s work is all about contrast and balance in a very cathartic way. The choice of a precise fragment of reality in her works dissolves any narration. The mysterious, sometimes disturbing characters are caught in vibrant movements, blurring the lines of their barely sketched bodies and faces. There is a search for simplicity in her gesture, seeking for the essence of the being she is depicting. She shares with Philip Guston or Gérard Gasiorowski a bluntness in the works and the ability to express very vivid emotions through a very simple and assertive line. ...

The Galerie Derouillon, founded by Benjamin Derouillon, opened its doors in September 2012 at 38 rue Notre Dame de Nazareth in the Haut-Marais district, which is emerging as one of the new poles of contemporary art in Paris, with the desire to defend a young generation of French and international artists. The programme offers a singular vision of today's art in its diversity of modes of expression, with a particular emphasis on painting, sculpture and installations. The selection of artists has in common a demanding and playful work that breaks with established codes.