Following the exhibition in Paris, Galerie Enrico Navarra is presenting the continuation of the series at Villa Navarra. Travels on the Motif by the artist Renk, by appointment only. Painted across seven destinations from 2020 to 2022, the last eleven canvases in the series are on display all summer in this space designed by architect Rudy Ricciotti. The exhibition also reveals all the stages of their creation through videos.
Started in Paris, the series Travels on the Motif is above all the result of several stays in Brittany. Each canvas was created facing nature, facing the sky, and bears the name of the place where it was created: Champ de Mars, Dinard, Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, Île-de-Bréhat, Crozon, Île Bruc, Belle-Île… Renk follows the path of the Impressionists and, like them, carries his equipment to paint outdoors, without any preliminary sketch. He paints «en plein air.» A self-taught artist, he uses the aerosol spray can to depict skies where colors fade away to reveal harmony. The sky is at the center of his research, not for its picturesque effect, but to illustrate, with spontaneity, the variations of colors, shadows, and lights. His works are an accumulation of his tag «Renk,» in different sizes and colors, repeated infinitely until it disappears.
While graffiti is a medium of expression often associated with notions of protest, appropriation, and territory, Renk, by contrast, seems determined to make his tag disappear by repeating it endlessly, while retaining the creative gesture and the aerosol technique. The tireless repetition of his tag has always been the foundation of his works, but his method evolves with each series. Until now, all his paintings were created from his imagination and produced indoors. Renk begins to paint in the daylight, face to face with nature, after setting up a stretcher in the vineyards during a stay in the South of France. And soon his first canvases painted while contemplating the sky are born.
«I come from graffiti. My intention was to go into the studio to make my painting, and after a few years it was the opposite. It became ‘I want to get out of the studio’.» (Renk, 2022)
An artist full of contrasts, between abundance and order, maturity and childhood obsessions, the serenity of his paintings and the energy of his creative act, Renk brilliantly blends his influences from street art and impressionism to create Travels on the Motif.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Rennes in 1987 into a family of artists, Walig Nicolet, known as Renk, began writing graffiti in 2000. Trained as a graphic designer, he has devoted himself to painting since 2010. Without giving up the spray can, he repeats his tag until it dissolves into skies vibrating with light, often painted outdoors in Brittany. Presented by Galerie Enrico Navarra in Paris and Le Muy since 2023, he also exhibits in New York and Chongqing.
Sign up for our newsletter
Contact us
Publisher: Doriano Navarra
Site hosted by: Scaleway – Headquarters: 8 rue de la Ville l’Evêque, 75008 Paris
In accordance with Law No. 78-17 of January 6, 1978, known as «Data Protection and Civil Liberties,» you have the right to access, modify, rectify, and delete your personal data. You may exercise this right by submitting a simple request by mail to Galerie Enrico Navarra – 75, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris – France or by email to presse@enriconavarra.com.
If you wish to ask us questions regarding our privacy policy or the use of your personal data, you can contact us at press@enriconavarra.com.
By browsing our site, you are informed and agree that your personal data may be collected on the site and used by it, which acts as data controller within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (hereinafter referred to as the «General Data Protection Regulation» or «GDPR»).
We are committed to protecting and ensuring the security and confidentiality of your personal data in accordance with the GDPR, including by taking all necessary precautions to prevent this data from being distorted, damaged, or accessed by unauthorized third parties.
The elements present on this site (logos, texts, photos) are the exclusive property of Galerie Enrico Navarra. Any use, reproduction, or modification, even partial, of these elements without the agreement of Galerie Enrico Navarra is prohibited.
The information collected during your visit to the site is exclusively intended for internal use and will not be communicated to third parties for commercial purposes, except with your authorization.
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. («Google»). Google Analytics uses cookies, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site.
The data generated by cookies about your use of the site (including your IP address) will be transmitted and stored by Google on servers located in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the site, compiling reports on site activity for its editor, and providing other services relating to site activity and internet usage.
Google may share this data with third parties if legally required or if the third parties process this data on behalf of Google, including, but not limited to, the publisher of this site. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.
You can disable the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings in your browser. However, doing so may prevent the use of certain features of this site. By using this website, you expressly consent to the processing of your personal data by Google under the conditions and for the purposes described above.
