We are delighted to announce this new and eagerly awaited exhibition by Jean Mallard at the SLOW Galerie. ‘Midsommar’ means “summer equinox”, in reference to the road trip Jean took in 2023, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland... in the middle of summer, when the days last a long, long time. As well as the beauty of the landscapes, the deep forests and misty lakes, the magic of the places also inspired Jean. The tales, tinged with mysticism, are very much rooted in everyday life, with a fine line between the real and the supernatural. This trip was an opportunity for the artist to plunge into the depths of his soul, to confront himself by surrendering to the vertigo of this wild and animal nature where we expect to see an imaginary creature appear at any moment.
For this 3rd exhibition at the SLOW Galerie, Jean has taken his already virtuoso technique to new heights, with his signature gradations of extreme delicacy, velvety soft and matt, and you can see that ‘Midsommar’ is the culmination of several months' work. The silhouettes of the trees, as precise as shadow puppets, stand out against a misty background. The contrast is breathtaking. The closer you get to the drawing, the more you are drawn in by its beauty, its poetry, and the intense emotion that emanates from it.
Events
"MIDSOMMAR", new solo show by Jean Mallard
After ‘Via Miracoli’ in 2020 and ‘L'heure bleue’ in 2022, Jean presents ‘Midsommar’, a collection of around thirty watercolour paintings, many of them large formats.