Uncertain Evidence
by Marie Maertens
Paintings, sculptures? Objects, ceramics? Justin Adian’s works, presented for the first time in a solo exhibition in France, are difficult to define at first glance. It takes a moment before you can read past their apparent ambiguity.Whether they look like marouflage paintings, volumes hung on a wall, or delicious, abstract, dynamic works, the pieces that Justin Adian creates joyfully communicate a “can-do“ spirit. And in fact, the artist spends long hours in the studio, composing and recomposing, constructing, deconstructing, reconstructing, bringing several forces into play. These misleadingly soft shapes, made initially from cushions pressed into chassis, are then covered with stretched canvas. Naturally, in line with the tradition of American sculpture, they recall the works of Robert Morris, Richard Tuttle, Lynda Benglis, but also Franz West and even Eva Hesse. Dancing and active, they also conjure up Ellsworth Kelly‘s paintings. However…