For its new exhibition, Galerie Loft has chosen to bring together a myth of French comic art and a rising prince of Chinese painting.
FANTASTIQUES – Philippe DRUILLET invites ARX LEE (Li Chaoxiong)
An unprecedented face-to-face encounter between the great master of French comic art and the young prodigy of Chinese illustration.
For its new exhibition, Galerie Loft has chosen to bring together a myth of French comic art and a rising prince of Chinese painting.
One was born in 1944, the other in 1978.
Separated by 35 years and 10,000 kilometers, they represent not only two generations but also two cultures, two worlds, and two singular talents...
And yet, there was something almost inevitable about their meeting. Both share an extraordinary ability to transcend the narrow confines of reality and construct poetic, mesmerizing worlds.
Philippe Druillet achieves this with unmatched power, flamboyance, and rebellion.
From LoneSloane to Xcalibur, from Pilote to Les Humanoïdes Associés, from drawing to 3D, from paper to cinematic sets, he has imposed his universe and opened a new path for the "ninth art." His contribution to the renewal of composition and the redefinition of panel structure, beginning with his earliest works in the 1960s, profoundly influenced not only comics but also illustrations, cinema, and video games.
A unique creator, he inspired figures such as Jean Giraud in the evolution of his alias Moebius, as well as George Lucas in the visual conception of Star Wars.
A pioneering artist, he is now an essential figure of our visual culture. Here, we present more intimate works, some previously unseen, revealing the talent and passion he has projected across a wide range of creative fields. Of course, there is his iconic character Lone Sloane, whose original pages from the first volume (The Mystery of the Abyss, 1966) are displayed alongside those of the latest volume (Delirius, 2012), reflecting 50 years of artistic evolution. Also on view are set designs, film posters, furniture pieces, tapestries, and lithographs from his major works (Yrgaël, Salammbô...). Particularly rare and moving are several intimate paintings from his studio, including a small, previously unseen "Mona Lisa", created when the artist was just 19 years old. This exhibition offers a true retrospective journey through his work and life.
Yet Philippe Druillet is not the one to dwell in the past. His relentless desire to confront new realities continually pushes him to reinvent himself through new projects. This exhibition thus becomes an opportunity to invite a younger artist to engage in dialogue with him through original and collaborative works.
But who could rise to such a challenge?
If anyone, it is Li Chaoxiong.
This young Chinese painter, who signs his works under the "ARX LEE," is a brilliant illustrator. Through his creations, he transports us with infinite poetry into lost worlds and galaxies populated by colorful machinery and magical figures.
Born in 1978, at a time when Druillet had already founded Les Humanoïd Associés and published numerous works. Li Chaoxiong graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2002. Yet his passion for illustration extends far beyond academic training. Through his drawings, paintings, and 3D creations, he pays tribute to the comic art he has devoured since childhood.
The three major phases of his work are marked by three lunar heroes (Bilibi, Buda, and Bumi), who symbolize his emotions and personal evolution.
The works presented in this exhibition focus particularly on Bumi (meaning "earth" in Sanskrit), the latest figure in his universe. This dreamlike little astronaut tirelessly and gently explores the world of dreams and the heart. A traveler of vast expanses, he drifts softly into unknown lands and even ventures into territories inhabited by Druillet's creatures.
Poetry and melancholy bring the two artists together, as do their pictorial generosity and mastery of detail. As Li Chaoxiong often says, "I have always dreamed of being a comic book hero". Phillipe Druillet would not disagree. Their solitary heroes, lost in post-apocalyptic worlds or dreamlike dimensions, mirror their creators' figures, shaped by personal experience, and express a nostalgic and incisive vision of our world.
Heroes with whom we love to travel, to dream, and to live extraordinary adventures.
Faced with the works of these artists, whose incredible imaginations spill onto the canvas, we are transported into the most beautiful of worlds, simply...fantastic
