For the first time the French artist Katia Bourdarel (*1969) and the Bernese artist Samuel Blaser (*1973) are combined in a double show. Both artists feature small-format figurative-narrative paintings. The groups of works seem obviously related even though they are completely different. Each of the two artists works in his or her own microcosms of story finding and they both create absurd-surreal modern fairy tales, using classical techniques such as oil painting on wood and watercolors on paper.

Katia Bourdarel’s stories or fictional fairy tales open up a new dimension to the viewer. At first glance the motives seem pretty and poetic but on a closer look traumatic compositions are being disclosed. She virtuously paints and draws her imaginary worlds and leads the viewer into a seemingly lost world. Katia Bourdarel is a gifted weaver of narratives – mostly leaving the outcome open or offering several options to the viewer’s own conclusions. Some of the exhibited series were produced in the last years, showing an unusual oeuvre. In ‘Le baiser du Papillon’ or ‘L’ultime naissance’ the focus is on the communication between humans and animals, whereas ‘Petit Frère’ or ‘Memento Mori’ deal with the human-animal transformation. The series ‘De l’autre côté’ indicates a distant dream world. Three-dimensional objects are spread in between the paintings, wonderfully connecting the different group of works.

Samuel Blaser’s oil paintings are composed of found modular components. His sources derive either from photographs, taken on walking-tours or travels, or distant memories. As in a puppet theater the artist composes the figures into fey landscapes, thereby creating his own stories. A recently created group of works deals with the landscape illustration – as well as in a metaphorically as concrete way. The delicate oil paintings fall back on a vast repertoire of old master paintings, just to be reloaded with contemporary issues. Leaving the quotes highly visible, each painting nevertheless stands independently. The artist’s work can be distinguished in three main groups: portraits are of great importance, next to symbolically charged miniatures as well as illustrations of absurd situations of human existence. Samuel Blaser’s works go back and forth between seriousness and wit, grief and overwhelming joy. All his paintings are single pieces; however they seem to respond in a comprehensive dialog.

Bernhard Bischoff, January 2011