London

Mehal, Sébastien
Born 1968 in Fort-de-France, Martinique. Lives and works in Paris, France
Influenced by phenomenon of the city and its singularities - frantic pace, anonymity, visual icons, social codes - Sébastien Mehal draws all his inspiration from his urban experiences. From the technique (the paint he uses is made up of pigments from the automobile industry) to the subjects treated (architecture, communication, the solitary individual, the subjective experience), urban life is at the heart of his practice. Some of his works are characterized by the use of industrial materials such as aluminium as well as more noble materials such as bronze and marble. Through a minimalist aesthetic, he proposes a sociological and psychological reflection of a society that he captures as an observer. Within his artistic vocabulary, the light bulb appears as a key element, fascinated by its technical precision and beauty since his childhood. He describes contemporary urbanity through electric metaphors: the social tensions that are quite strong on Martinique- sometimes electric - with quite large economic polarities and where the social fabric is not made of a continuum but of breaks, reflections of social complexity. Mehal’s most recent solo show, Accident, took place at espace d’art contemporain 14N 61W (2017). He has had group shows in Martinique, Guadeloupe, France and the USA, among others.
Sebastien Mehal, Façade architecturale - Monochrome vert, 2019, Acrylic paint on canvas, 35 x 35 cm. Courtesy of espace d'art contemporain 14N 61