ATLAS Alexandre Bavard aka Mosa87

Alexandre Bavard aka Mosa87 (b. 1987in Paris, FR) presents his first solo exhibition ATLAS at R;68 in Cologne.

Bavard appropriates elements of (art) history, often found objects, to take up and elaborate their aesthetics and symbolic power in his sculptures, installations, reliefs and canvases. The artist skillfully merges centuries, generations and cultures in a contemporary reinterpretation of ancient history, archaeology and mythology.

Current social tensions and dynamics are interwoven with historical references, expressing their continuity through a new visual language. The canvases speak of resistance and protest, of rebellion and the refusal of authority. Bavard applies archived slogans from numerous protests without regard for conventional framing – only to erase them again and evoke their disappearance. Mirroring the governments high pressured cleansing of the city after the protests to restore the façade of an intact cityscape, the canvases show the traces that either way always will be remembered.

For the bas-Reliefs the artist appropriates found objects of an urban environment and – in combination with iconography from Greek mythology – processes them to compositions of contemporary significance. In this process of Neo Archeology he creates worlds that bridgepast, present and future.

In Bavard’s distinctive artistic language, these works form a powerful commentary on the vulnerabilities and scars within social structures and serve as a potent reminder of what should never be forgotten.

Opening reception
05/10/24
6–8 PM

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