If you missed TERRA MATER from October 3-5 at Au Roi Gallery, feast your senses here on this three stage journey that takes you through the house, the gallery and the studio

Clovis Retif is a French visual artist based in Paris. After studying product design at Saint-Luc in Belgium, he worked for two years in global design in Paris. He then moved to Canada, where he dedicated himself fully to drawing. In 2018, he was invited by Galerie Luz on Sainte-Catherine Street in Montreal to present his first solo series of drawings, Solitude Contemporaine, an exhibition that marked the beginning of his artistic career. The following year, Clovis returned to Paris, where he continued to participate in group exhibitions and held a second solo exhibition, Série-Hors-Série, where he presented accumulations of objects and trash found on the street. In 2020, he moved to Brussels and continued to explore different mediums, participating in about ten exhibitions.

In 2022, Clovis returned to Paris, where his work took a significant turn with the introduction of colour and a more instinctive and personal approach to drawing, particularly blending painting and pastels. He quickly expanded his technique to new mediums, such as hand-drawn vintage clothing, enamelled pottery, furniture, and murals. His themes are varied, but he always seeks to tell a story, whether it’s about forgotten historical figures or fictional characters. He primarily addresses these subjects through the representation of objects and symbols, exploring themes such as the sanctification of objects, their transformation into relics, memory and its confusion, and our perception of reality.

He has presented his works in Paris, Brussels, Montreal, and New York. His work has been featured in various media outlets such as Le Figaro, The Good Life, MAD, France Inter, L’OBS, The New York Times, and Forbes. He has also collaborated with various brands for creations or artistic direction, including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, TRVDON, L’Experimental Group, Le Royal Mansour, Manolo Blahnik, La Poste, and Zadig & Voltaire. Clovis Retif continues to live and work in Paris, where he pursues his creative explorations with a focus on aesthetics and immersion.

In this latest show from October 3-5, 2024 at Au Roi Gallery, Clovis Retif presented an eclectic selection of works ranging from drawing to pottery, including design, tableware, and painting. The first room, titled “The House,” offers an intimate and personal scenography. A bookshelf displays various creations by the artist, from plates to balloons, including a chess set and a lamp. At the centre of the room, a large dining table is set, where tableware becomes a living installation. Every piece on this table has been handcrafted by Clovis Retif for two dinners organised during the exhibition. To extend the experience, the artist collaborated with chef Camille Barbas, and together they created dishes that harmonise with the shapes, colours, and flavours emanating from the exhibition. A long linen tablecloth covers the table, gracefully draping to the floor before extending to the wall, where the artist has painted an acrylic portrait of his mother, watching over the scene. This symbolic installation highlights the connection between the work of art and everyday objects.

Passing through the arches leading to the second room, we enter “The Gallery.” The walls are adorned with four large charcoal drawings, each 2.30 metres long, accompanied by four medium-sized pieces. At the centre of the space, a dozen drapes and curtains, painted on different fabrics and papers, hang from the ceiling. These installations play with transparency and movement, giving the scene a light and mysterious ambiance.

The third room invites visitors into a recreation of the artist’s studio. On a nine-metre-long wall are Clovis Retif’s archives and sources of inspiration, scattered with sketches and preparatory drawings. Chairs designed by the artist and enamelled vases created in collaboration with Poterie Ravel complete this immersion into his creative process. Finally, a bar will be run by the Experimental Cocktail Club, with which Clovis has created a cocktail menu resonating with the colours and flavours that echo the inspiring exhibition.