Exhibition: André's extravagant journey

Exhibition: L'extravagant voyage d'André at La Maison in NEVERS from 8 October to 14 December.
Opening on Tuesday 8 October at 6.30pm in the Galerie Jean Montchougny.
Free admission during La Maison opening hours.

What is passed down from generation to generation is beyond our borders. Inheritance can be a heavy burden, and one that is difficult to come to terms with as part of the process of self-building. How do you make two cultures coexist without having to sacrifice or silence a part of yourself?

Thierry Falisse has been trying to resolve these issues for many years. After an epic journey, André, the artist's Belgian father, met his Korean wife. This union produced nine children. Enriched by this history, the painter built his life, steeped in Korean culture in a Western world.

He uses colour as a lever for emancipation, in order to tame more spontaneous gestures and a world that he wants to be playful. The object of his research is the component of his plural identity, his personal and cultural origins.

He is inspired in particular by Minwa, a popular Korean painting tradition from the 18th century, which artists who were not recognised by the ruling political power used to denounce social disparities and mock the bourgeois class in a very discreet, highly codified way. The tiger, for example, symbolised the ruling aristocracy, or danger and threat. The magpie, perched higher and higher, represented the people, modest and clever.

These are the symbols we find in Thierry Falisse's paintings today, mixed with characters straight out of his childhood: cuddly toys, robots reminiscent of Astroboy and the cartoons of the 80s. In this way, the artist tries to bring together two distinct universes, to create a cultural syncretism that defines him while at the same time making a mockery of his own ghosts.