Metropolis Japan

Exhibition: “État de Théâtralité” – Fabien Verschaere’s First Exhibition in Japan

Mar 19, 2025 at 11:00am ~ Apr 11, 2025 at 7:30pm

A Celebration of Fabien Verschaere’s 50th Anniversary

To mark the 50th anniversary of renowned French artist Fabien Verschaere, the Institut Français de Tokyo is proud to present “État de Théâtralité”, the first exhibition in Japan dedicated to his work. Over the past two decades, Verschaere has become a key figure in the French contemporary art scene. This exhibition will showcase eighteen powerful watercolors, each capturing the essence of his distinctive artistic universe.

A Fantastical World of Color and Symbols

Verschaere’s work is a bold explosion of vibrant hues and large-scale compositions, forming frescoes teeming with fantastical creatures. His ghostly characters seem to float between memory and oblivion, presence and absence—suspended in a dreamlike state where past and future collide, and humans and animals merge into a surreal, reconstructed paradise.

These seemingly self-contained images defy constraints, expanding beyond their borders as if coming to life. The artist incorporates space and light into his work, only to release them in layers of color that fill the paper with intensity. Although deeply rooted in neo-pop painting, Verschaere crafts mental landscapes—abstract visions that challenge our perception of identity and symbolism.

Do His Figures Speak to Us? Or to Each Other?

His art poses intriguing questions:
What do these figures represent?
Can we engage with them? Are they listening?
Do they share a secret dialogue among themselves, or is their story already over?

An Immersive Exploration of Color and Form

With État de Théâtralité, Verschaere highlights his lifelong commitment to color exploration, carefully balancing hue, saturation and contrast in each watercolor. His world is one of dreams and reality intertwined—a poetic, spiritual and evocative fusion of bodies and minds.

Opening hours

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday : 11am to 7:30pm
Friday, Sunday : 11am to 5pm
Vernissage in the presence of the artist on March 19 from 6pm to 8pm

Closed

Mondays and public holiday