« UPDATE »: Contemporary Art, a Reflection of Society
From August 8 to 14 at the Préau des Arts, Christian Havet presents his latest exhibition, « UPDATE, » on the digital « updates » that influence our humanity.
The « UPDATE » exhibition, as a suggestion of an « update » for everyone, and for each individual in particular, is what visual artist Christian Havet proposes, brush in hand at the Manufacture des Arts, his studio, where large glass windows let in light and nature on the banks of the Eygues River. « Contemporary art is a reflection of our society; it must constantly update its language to remain relevant in the face of digital and scientific changes, of course, but also societal, environmental, and existential changes… »
Two works to rediscover freedom
Through his work, the artist suggests observing how the constant « updates » of our devices, social networks, and digital lifestyles are transforming our humanity. « Art is a language for reading and shaping worlds. The dream in which we have learned to conform, to obey, is cracking, but to rediscover what we have always been. What is collapsing is not life, it is the walls, it is deliverance. » And to better express the need for freedom and the refusal to see ourselves as « multidimensional transmitters and receivers, » he presents two types of works.
– The first, Receiver, is a large quadriptych (4 x 150cm / 150cm) acrylic on canvas, abstract, created in Nyons in the 2024 studio. « Determined by the choice of the color green and the spontaneous and fluid movement of the paint, a metaphor for life and the need for constant change. »
– The second, Transmitter, is composed of 12 small figurative drawings (12 x 30cm / 40cm gouache on paper). « These are odes to life, created in my room at the Nîmes University Hospital during my convalescence following neurosurgery, this winter of 2025. No TV in my room, no screen to escape reality, as few distractions as possible. I had the opportunity to speak to my body’s self-healing mechanism and to draw my healing in full awareness. » M.C.
Opening Friday August 8th at 6 p.m. at Préau des Arts, 8 rue Pierre-Toesca in Nyons. Exhibition from August 8th to 14th, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Infos: christianhavet.fr
Photo: Christian Havet gives his final brushstrokes in his studio at the Manufacture des Arts before the exhibition at Préau des Arts.