Artist
Agnès Pezeu
Artist
Working in a similar manner to the action painters of the 1940s, Agnès Pezeu creates life-sized expressionistic portraits by tracing charcoal outlines and drizzling paint over the canvas. Her full-length pieces range in palette from monochromatic with hints of pastel to vivid, color-treated canvases darkened with black. Pezeu’s work is performative by nature, becoming an integral part of her creative process and the resulting artworks. Born in Paris, Pezeu continues to live and work in her home city since she started her decades-long career in 1989. Pezeu’s first exhibition was at the Grande Halle de la Vilette in Paris in 1989, where she performed a live painting in The Color of the Night. Since then, she has performed and exhibited internationally. Notable performances include Between Arada at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Istanbul in 2003, a performance at the Cntre d’Art Acomer in 2008, and a light and sound installation at the Notre Dame in Paris. She has erected permanent installations at the Luxembourg Garden and at the D’Avray Park in St. Cloud, France. Pezeu’s solo exhibition at gallery nine5 Impressions in 2010 invited attendees to become the subjects of Pezeu’s works. In 2013, the Condé Nast Building at 4 Times Square showed an exhibition of Pezeu’s works. Pezeu has painted frescos in numerous French cities in addition to completing private commissions. Her work is held in private collections throughout Paris, Lyon, Milan, Rome, London, Madrid, Seoul, Tokyo, Istanbul, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Montreal, and Mexico. Pezeu has been featured in numerous publications such as NY Arts magazine and Marie Claire France. gallery nine5 has represented Agnès Pezeu exclusively since the gallery’s opening in 2008. She has had two major solo exhibitions with the gallery, as well as participated in multiple group exhibitions. Her 2013 solo exhibition, Flesh, included a signature performative painting using human shadows and audience participation.