Stéphane Dafflon. Installation view. Courtesy of the gallery.

Stéphane Dafflon is currently on view at Air de Paris and has an exhibition you should make your way to if your in Paris, France.  Dafflon has various acrylic paintings on view where clinical and precise execution of his medium is present on his chosen surface of stretched canvas.  They almost seem to float harmoniously in the space, where wall paintings mimic the illusionistic imagery in his works, creating a dialogue similar to staring into a mirror where the reflection elevates into the realistic space you inhabit.  Colorful palettes are used in the works which contrast dramatically with the white negative space in the center of the works.  The way Dafflon titles the work is also interesting and quite bold.  He abbreviates “acrylique sur toile (acrylic on canvas)” into AST, “peinture murale (wall painting)” into PM, and “sculpture sur acier inoxydable (stainless steel sculpture)” into SAI, etc.  This can be looked at as rebirth of the term “untitled”.

AST216, 2013, Acrylique sur toile 132,9 x 152,4 cm. Courtesy of the gallery.

AST220 2013 Acrylique sur toile 132.9 x 152.4 cm. Courtesy of the gallery

AST227 2013 Acrylique sur toile 154.5 x 75 cm. Courtesy of the gallery

Looking more closely into the works it becomes clear how negative space within the paintings is the main activator for their success.  Without the stark white background the moments of color gradients could indefinitely become lost and loose their power.  The serene white surfaces becomes more prevalent in the works and holds their ground as an active ingredient to their optical force.  Some of the works navigate toward a conversation about the “frame” and its significance to art, seen in “AST216”.  Other works seem to investigate the segmentation of the surface, and even though they don’t enclose white space like a frame, they operate as if they do, alluding to the creation of borders without visual lines – almost as if you were standing along state lines, knowing that their is a defined order between one place and another, but it’s visual presence is undefined to the naked eye.

This exhibition runs until April 6th.  For more information visit here.

-Contributed by Gregory Ito