Artist: Antoine Roegiers

Belgian artist Antoine Roegiers is presenting his work for the first time at Galerie Templon’s Paris location this autumn.

Since 2018, Antoine Roegiers has been deeply immersed in his ongoing visual narrative project, a series of paintings that collectively tell a single, evolving story. This narrative unfolds in a fluid, non- linear manner, devoid of a defined conclusion, blending humor, solemnity, and poetry to provoke reflection on the contemporary world while inviting us to laugh at our own absurdities. His inaugural exhibition at Galerie Templon in Brussels in 2023 left the story at a pivotal moment, as nature reclaimed its domain following a massive fire.

In this new chapter, titled The Great Parade, Roegiers presents thirteen oil paintings that draw heavily from the Romantic tradition. The motifs of fires, stray dogs, masks, crows, and forests — elements from the previous show — reappear, but are now joined by fresh symbols that further enrich the narrative. Among these new elements are a relentless grand duke, a mysterious eclipse, and the grotesque return of humanity: a slow-moving, mechanical procession of masked figures reminiscent of James Ensor’s musicians, blind to the world’s deteriorating state.

Roegiers’ mischievous wit is on full display, offering a sharply satirical portrayal of the disconnect between the flamboyant, raucous parade and the ruined world it marches through, all under the bewildered gaze of a pack of emaciated dogs.

“I wanted to reintroduce people into my story to express my own despair at the madness of society, the helplessness that often engulfs us,” Roegiers explains. “In The Solitude of the Deserter — a self-portrait — I depict a disoriented figure, unsure of how to handle the boldness of his departure from the collective. The eclipse serves as a reminder of our insignificance, mere specks of confetti in the vast expanse of the universe.”

Born in 1980 in Belgium, Antoine Roegiers lives and works in Paris. He fuses his knowledge of classic painting with contemporary animation techniques. Putting technology and his talent for drawing to good use, he breathes life into the fantastical characters typical of the Flemish masters, taking liberties with them and inventing stories that never stay still. His work has been shown in a range of solo exhibitions, including at the Noordbrabant Museum in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, Palais des Beaux- Arts in Lille, France, in 2012 and Botanique in Brussels in 2013. His art has also featured in numerous group exhibitions, including at the Frissiras Museum in Athens (2003), Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard in Paris (2009), Kulturhuset Museum in Stockholm (2012), Petit Palais in Paris (2013), Palais Pisztory in Slovakia (2013), Paço das Artes in Sao Paulo (2013), Albertina Museum in Vienna (2013), Contemporary Art Collection of the City of Geneva (2013), Bruce Museum in Greenwich, USA (2015), Palacio Bellas Artes and National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City (2018), Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (2019), Cité de la Musique Philharmonie in Paris (2021), MO.CO in Montpellier (2023), Château du Rivau in Lémeré, France (2024) and Wasserman Projects in Detroit, USA (2024). It is also included in the Contemporary Art Collection of the City of Geneva and the Ministry of the French Community of Belgium's collections. Antoine Roegiers has won several prizes, including the Molière de la Création Visuelle (2020) and Roger Bataille Prize (2007).

His work will be included in Painters’ Day, a group exhibition at Paris' Musée d’Orsay, in September 2024 and currently features in the Hybrids exhibition at the De Warande cultural centre in Turnhout, Belgium, running until 13 October 2024. He has also been asked to take part in the ENNOVA International Art Biennale in Langfang City, China, from 24 October 2024 to 30 April 2025.