This evocative contemporary artwork features a striking interplay of colors and forms. The central focus is a hand holding a lit cigarette, its warm glow contrasting against the surrounding hues of deep purple and orange. The blurred, ethereal background suggests a sense of mystery and introspection. The artist's use of chiaroscuro lighting and abstracted shapes creates an atmospheric, almost cinematic quality, inviting the viewer to ponder the emotional subtext behind this intimate moment. This work poignantly examines themes of addiction, solitude, and the dualities inherent in the human experience. ...
As quotidian as her paintings on paper appear, there is an unavoidable and intrinsic power to Mercier’s works. Her very personal works sensitively explore political, feminist, mental health, and empowerment issues. She questions the norms of representation through the prism of the female gaze, the re-appropriation of nudity, and the transition of the female body from the status of object to that of subject. Her works aestheticize daily life with a vernacular emphasis on the political, all imbued with the joy of sorority, power, and feminine anger. ...
Ballon Rouge began as a nomadic gallery in September of 2017. In our first two years we put up exhibitions in Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Brussels, Sao Paulo, Paris, and New York. Each of the cities we visited was stewarded by a ‘collective member’ - a curator who introduced us to artists and to their respective city’s art scene. In March of 2019 we made Brussels our home city, inaugurating our permanent space. While we will continue to do shows abroad alongside our collective members, our primary location is now Brussels. Besides our own exhibitions, the space in Brussels sometimes hosts invited international galleries to show with us in exchange for a show of ours at theirs - a further continuation of our ethos of collaboration and collectivity. So far we have collaborated or will soon collaborate with Hannah Barry Gallery (London); Melange (Cologne); Galerist (Istanbul); Gallery Artbeat, (Tbilisi); the Pill (Istanbul); Pi Artworks (Istanbul, London); Vitrine (London, Basel). ...
