Sunday in Kyoto — Hippolyte Hentgen

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Contrary to the impression a quick glance might impart concerning the oeuvres of Hippolyte Hentgen—let’s say their virtuosity—what is truly striking when we examine them carefully is their ambition: that of creating a singular visual utopia based on a desire to share lovingly collected images. Their graphic resources are drawn from what is known as popular culture (cartoons, humorous drawings, abstract motifs from fabric or wallpaper, documents explaining science to the masses and picture postcards) and are imbued with performative virtues that Hippolyte Hentgen exploit with brio. Yet their work seems to be of a different nature from the techniques of collage, photomontage and misappropriation that have been abundantly practiced for over a century. What we are witnessing from Hippolyte Hentgen seems more of a creolization of the images, just as we might say of a language.