Pol Taburet's work is a heady and iconoclastic mix of references that range from the artist's own Caribbean background, the region's synchretic voodoo traditions and belief systems, wider contemporary culture, as well as classical painting. Born in 1997, the artist has rapidly gained attention with his idiosyncratic painterly style, which he has developed by incorporating the use of airbrushing alongside traditional brush painting with acrylic colours. The formal result is a unique contraposition of textures and finishings, of painstaking detail, 'impressionistic' suggestion and symbolism.
Read MoreThis double technique, an amalgamation of old and new, can be viewed as symbolic of Taburet's work as a whole. The freshness of this subject matter, which somehow feels entirely new, combined with an undeniably youthful and energetic aesthetic, is underpinned by influences that firmly belong to the traditional canon of art history. From Francis Bacon to Baroque and religious art, these influences are all visible but his work is not subjugated to them. His twisted figures, which often appear as hybrids between human and animal, stand out against starkly abstract backgrounds. Taburet says his subjects speak of life and death, and the passage from one to the other. In their own way, his paintings hold a spiritual quality that is hard to define, and which might not be immediately apparent. An instinctive artist, Taburet's themes, forms, compositions and even meaning often reveal themselves to him as he paints.
Pol Taburet (b. 1997, Paris, France) lives and works in Paris.
Pol Taburet attained his Bachelor's and Graduate degree at École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts de Paris-Cergy. His most recent solo exhibitions include: Lafayette Anticipations, Paris (2023); C L E A R I N G, Los Angeles (2022); Balice Hertling, Paris (2020).
Additionally, his work was included in group shows such as: Reiffers Art Initiatives, Paris (2022); Worst Case Scenario, curated by Chloé Bonnie Moore, Paris (2021); Drawing a Blank, curated par Ben Broom, Paris (2021); Let us in III, Clichy (2019); and Let us in I, Clichy (2018). His work is also included in public collections such as Pinault Collection, Paris and Lafayette Anticipations, Paris.
Text courtesy Mendes Wood DM.
