Vincent Olinet’s fascination with creating the experience of le merveilleux (‘the marvelous’) is obvious through his works, which seem to exist in the realm between the real and imaginary.

This exhibition brings together works from three series. The first I Can’t Perform Miracles (2007), from which the show gets its title, redefines 16th century Dutch still-life paintings. Olinet appropriates traditional elements from the genre, such as candles, fruits, meat, flowers, and immerses them in water. Illuminated by an otherworldly glow, the dreamlike deluges are preserved in perpetuity in this series of photographs.

The Rouge series (2009) takes inspiration from the glitz and glamour of fashion, in the form of glossy lipstick sculptures, each named after stylish cities around the world. Olinet sees these luscious objects as symbols of women‘s and men’s desires, and through them, makes a formidable statement about how people are easily seduced by idealised notions of beauty.

Rhythm is My Only Companion (2009) is a series of military drums accompanied by weapon-like drumsticks with oversized heads and pointed ends. In a deliberate attempt to distort the musical instrument’s original purpose, Olinet reinterprets the concept of monumental sculpture with a sharp sense of irony.

By choosing subjects for their emotional power and potential to speak universally, he creates playful objects and presents them in ways that amplify their ordinary form. These objects become two-faced representations, both protagonist and antagonist, playing with attractive and repulsive perceptions, saintly and diabolical qualities, thereby creating a confusion of truth and falsity.

I Can’t Perform Miracles is Olinet’s debut exhibition in Singapore. In conjunction with the exhibition, an artist talk will be held on Saturday, 08 June at 2pm.

About the artist:

Vincent Olinet (b.1981, France) graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the Ecole Nationale Des Beaux Arts in Lyon, France. He was the recipient of the Prix Charles Dufraine (2004) and Prix Pézieux (2005) in his native Lyon. He has participated in prestigious residencies such as the Rijksakademie van beeldende Kunsten residency in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2006) and Fondation GegenwART in Bern, Switzerland (2010). Olinet has exhibited in China, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and USA. His artworks are featured in prominent international collections, including Diane Von Furstenberg’s estate in Connecticut, USA, and the Musée d'Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne (MAC/VAL) in Paris, France.

Image: © Vincent Olinet, FOST Gallery