Les rois d'aujourd'hui ne sont-ils pas sans couronne ? / Luke James

Assembling, stirring things up and sharing are the key intentions behind the work of Luke James, whose thinking oscillates between generous minimalism and conceptual magic. His work explores the tensions between the world and its games, between insolence and dread. EXHIBITION from September 23 to October 11, 2026 Opening on Wednesday, September 23 at 6pm (open to all) Site-specific installation by Luke James Playing with geometry means offering a perspective oscillating between baroque and constructivism in dialogue with the greenhouse and its vegetation. The reflection focuses on the center: since the greenhouse is round, Luke James has conceived a work in which the absence of the tree becomes a nodal point. The twelve figures are arranged in a circle, following a ritual logic reminiscent of negotiating tables where the world is symbolically shared out. The idea of the clock emerges through this circle, underlining the relationship between light, solar zenith and architecture. Thanks to their "Janus" faces, the figures offer a double reading: they turn toward the center while also engaging in dialogue with visitors moving along the wall. Depending on their position, east or west, the visitor discovers a different face. These faces, with their double expression, evoke the idea of movement and emotion. Reduced to an economy of extreme forms, they become vertical signs, at the edge of abstraction. Arranged in an occult network, these figures seem to conspire and dominate, questioning the staging of contemporary power. Union is strength. Who benefits from this? About An artist who graduated from ENSBA Lyon in 2015, Luke James develops a sculptural practice exploring the tensions between figuration and abstraction. His work has been exhibited internationally (China, Japan, the United States, Europe) and noted at prestigious awards such as the Révélations Emerige and the salon de Montrouge. He has been in residence at the Villa Empain (Fondation Boghossian) and at the CCA Kitakyushu. He recently presented public installations in Paris and will hold a solo exhibition in Madrid in 2027. His approach, oscillating between minimalism and conceptual magic, questions structures of power and human interactions through a striking economy of forms.

Source: Paris Open Data ↗