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Almine Rech

Paul de Flers Black Island

Mar 1 — Apr 6, 2023 | London

Black Island is simultaneously a fable, and an invitation to undertake a journey. Paul de Flers transports us into a uchronia: a real space becomes a dream or fantasy setting, outside of time.
The island of Pico forms one of the edges of the triangle of the Azores archipelago. A volcano dominates the entire island with its solemn stature. Made of endless lava, the ground consists only of burnt stones, covering the western side of the island with a black crust and volcanic vegetation. Its shores have fashioned a multitude of myths and legends in the artist’s work.

Paul de Flers’ paintings convey  a lost paradise, with a stormy, intoxicating atmosphere. By means of  merging colors and blurry edges, the scenes propose the viewer as  witnessing an intimate moment, through a window misted with memory.

Raul Brandão lyrically described the island in the late 19th century: “of unique beauty, of admirable color, it exerts a strange power of attraction on the visitor.” Paul de Flers’ work embraces this fascination. The viewer becomes a voyeur before the faceless figures painted by the artist.

Press release

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Selected artworks

  • Paul de Flers,                                      Untitled, 2022-2023

    Paul de Flers Untitled, 2022-2023

    Oil and pigments on linen canvas

    92 x 115 cm
    36 x 45 1/2 in

  • Paul de Flers,                                      Untitled, 2022-2023

    Paul de Flers Untitled, 2022-2023

    Oil and pigments on linen canvas

    115 x 89 cm
    45 1/2 x 35 in

  • Paul de Flers,                                      Untitled, 2022-2023

    Paul de Flers Untitled, 2022-2023

    Oil and pigments on linen canvas

    140 x 108 cm
    55 x 42 1/2 in

  • Paul de Flers,                                      Untitled, 2022-2023

    Paul de Flers Untitled, 2022-2023

    Oil and pigments on linen canvas

    65 x 96 cm
    25 1/2 x 38 in

  • Paul de Flers,                                      Untitled, 2022-2023

    Paul de Flers Untitled, 2022-2023

    Oil and pigments on linen canvas

    115 x 92 cm
    45 1/2 x 36 in

  • Paul de Flers,                                      Untitled, 2022-2023

    Paul de Flers Untitled, 2022-2023

    Oil and pigments on linen canvas

    92 x 115 cm
    36 x 45 1/2 in