VALIS

The exhibition VALIS by Paul Gondry at Semiose, Paris, features paintings characterized by colorful clouds and spectral presences, creating dramatic tension through gestures, objects, and supernatural lighting. Gondry's work invites viewers to decipher signs beneath the surface, evoking mystery and the calculated concision of a storyboard. His background in cinema, animation, and video informs his return to graphic arts, exploring the necessity of painting over film to capture visions where suggestion, apparition, and fantasy take precedence over narration, embodiment, and reality.

Gondry's paintings are described as more than static images; they establish atmosphere and preserve haunted moments, concentrating and emblematizing. He views his work as a receptacle or manuscript, the residual glimmer of film after the screen goes dark. His art delves into the depths of the human psyche, unearthing images forged by the unconscious, bordering on the fantastic and nightmarish. Figures emerge from darkness, reminiscent of Murnau, Pasolini, or Lynchian atmospheres, and engage in dialogues with art history, referencing the Nabis, Munch, and Surrealists. The exhibition runs from March 14 to May 16, 2026.