The "new surrealism"
"True creativity does not concern itself
with its place in the sphere of art.
For me, creating a bottle inspires a narration,
theatrics.
But Damien creates a new form of reality.
No stories are told, it is up to us to invent them and live them:
Aborigine Men
Textile Women,
made of clay, of stone, of fire.
Dreams of operatic grasslands,
a Sistine on the scale of nature.
(...) Damien can write entire novels on faces.
A present from the past.
He erases the imperfections of the subjective.
He stones roll,
faces made of clay.
But why has God not done it?
Style, fashion, makeup artist,
no: ARTIST!"
SERGE MANSAU
Festive visions
"(...) "I let my hands do the speaking", explains
Damien Dufresne. He creates a presence,
one that is adorned with feathers, sequins,
caked-up material, or a veil of pigment, using lines
or striation, crusts, bark, fire, or ice - all the "spots
that appear on the human retina" of which
Baudelaire spoke so evocatively. (...) Damien
Dufresne's work occupies a privileged place
between romanticism and fantasy. Gifted with
enormous sensitivity, this visionary artist captures
the essence of intimacy: before one can paint and
work directly on another person's body, one has
to establish a relationship of complete trust with
the model, a mutual feeling of understanding.
Alongside the acknowledged language of aesthetics,
this artist has created a new, bold and sensitive
language, one that is disconcerting and heady like
a rare perfume - a language of feelings that
encompasses joy, sorrow, euphoria, silence, and action."
MICHEL BOHBOT,
COMTEMPORARY ART EXPERT