Stéphane Ducret

Life

Ducret was Silvie Defraoui's, Gilles Porret's and Christian Marclay's pupil at the Geneva University of Art (HEAD, or ex ESAV). He was commissioned to make large-scale paintings by the Geneva Hospital (1998) and by the Geneva International Conference Center (1999) before moving to New York City. He showed his work at the Bronx Museum of the Arts (2000) among others, and founded the Point Gallery (2000–2002). He now lives and works in Geneva after having lived in New York, Porto and Buenos Aires.

He has shown his work at Edward Mitterrand Gallery, Geneva (2002), l’elac (2002, 2003), the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne (2003, 2004, 2005), Synospsism Gallery, Lausanne (2005, 2006, 2007), FAC (Forum d’art contemporain), Sierre (2006), Centre PasquArt, Bienne (2006), he was awarded by The Fondation leenaards in 2003.

Work

The multifaceted themes in Stéphane Ducret's works have in common the artist's fascination with the Beat Generation culture, the hipster & hippie life and psychedelic rock.

'Time and Space Transcendence' features a series of brand new paintings which all continue Stéphane Ducret's extensive experiments with abstraction and space. Through oil painting on canvas, he seeks to explore the possibility of overcoming the perceived challenges of physical and natural space, translating this into his work while stretching the boundaries beyond the immediate and conventional way one looks at things. The oil paint is wiped with pieces of cloth that he uses as brushes and is applied in sweeping gestures from one side to the other of the canvasses, forming large expressionists and vivid directional lines.

Previously, his work from 'The Rebirth of the Cool' series has a fluid geometric abstraction that reflects the "media propaganda (publicity and cinema, television and women's magazines)" that speaks about "the love at first sight, the passion (...), love with a capital letter" according to Michel Onfray » (Michel Onfray: La Puissance d’exister, Editions Grasset & Fasquelle, 2006).

For 'Masterpiece Redux' (2006-2008), Stéphane Ducret refers to the fact that people spend so little time in front of the artworks during the exhibitions… He reproduces a selection of the great masterpieces of art history in their original dimensions with a slight change: he makes all the details vanish, since only a close and longer observation of the artwork would have allowed to detect. His technique is to increase digitally the size of the pixels, decreasing their number and, at the same time, the photographic quality of the image (Technique: Lambda print on high gloss paper, fixed in between two transparent and shiny acrylic panes, 4 mm each (like a sandwich), mounted on a smaller and invisible aluminum frame).

One Person Exhibitions

2016 Because Tomorrow is Today, Galería Ethra, México City, April 14 - June 17.

2015 I saw the best minds of my generation..., Laurent Marthaler Contemporary, Montreux, March 18 - April 19.

2014 Open Window on the Possible, Laurent Marthaler Contemporary, Montreux, March 23 - April 30.

2013 Stéphane Ducret, Annex14, Raum für aktuelle Kunst, Zürich Primeros capítulos distraídos, el mirador espacio, Buenos Aires

2012 Stéphane Ducret and Christian Stuker, curated by Murs Porteurs, Clinique De La Prairie, Montreux Gribouillis, GAS | GenevArtSpace, Genève

2011 Gribouillis, Happiness is Happening, Genève Red Cross Ball, Morges Stéphane Ducret, Changarrito, Buenos Aires

2009 Cross Platform (with Thierry Feuz), Imagenic Agency, Genève Diamonds are Forever, Galería del Paseo, Manatiales/Punta del Este

2008 Diamonds are Forever, Espace R, Genève 717 años (with Jorge Pereira), Cámara de Comercio Suizo Argentina, Buenos Aires Shiny Happy People (The Facebook Project), The Art Floor, Genève

2007 Masterpiece Redux, Galerie Synopsism, Lausanne Galerie ARTINSPORT, Crans-Montana

2006 Around the House, la galerie | etc., Genève Flamingos, FAC, Forum d’Art Contemporain, Sierre Stéphane Ducret, commissaire d’exposition: Catherine Othenin-Girard, Centre Nespresso, Orbe

2005 Georgem, Galerie Synopsism, Lausanne

2003 Peintures, l’elac (l’espace lausannois d’art contemporain), Lausanne

2002 Peintures, Galerie Edward Mitterrand, Genève

2001 La vie en rose, The Point, New York

Group Exhibitions

2015 Outre mer, Fonderie Kugler, Geneva, Dec. 4 - 20. Artists of the gallery, Laurent Marthaler Contemporary, Porto Cervo. June 26 - Sept.12. Aujourd’hui était hier était aujourd’hui..., curator: Patricia Terrapon Leguizamon, Flags, Geneva Biennal's celebration, Public space around Lake Léman's natural harbor, Geneva, May 18 - June 15. SPRAY#4 | Stéphane Ducret, Thierry Feuz, Daniel Orson Ybarra, Spray Studio, Geneva, May 5–19. Printmaking by ECAL, Musée Jenisch, Vevey, Mars 27 - May 31. Bruit, curator: Visarte.Geneva, Villa Dutoit, Geneva, Feb. 26 - March 22.

2014 S.P.R.A.Y. - PAINTING NOW, Laurent Marthaler Contemporary, Montreux, July 29 - Aug. 31. UTOPIE PICTURALE 2, Fonderie Kugler, Geneva, June 6–22. S.P.R.A.Y. - FOUR CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, Galerie Artvera's, Geneva, March 27 - May 5. Drive the Change, 100plus, Zürich, March 20–24.

2013 PANTONE ® K 2013, Usine Kugler - Art contemporain, Geneva, Dec 6 - 21. Usine genevoise de dégrossissage d’or, Forde, Geneva, Dec. 5 - 21. Geometría: Desvíos y Desmesuras, Fundación OSDE, Buenos Aires, May 2 - July 6. Geometría: Desvíos y Desmesuras, Fundación OSDE, Buenos Aires

2012 Collection d’art de la BCV, Fondation de l’Hermitage, Lausanne

2011 KUGLER REMIX 2011, espace kugler - Art contemporain, Genève Autour de l’abstraction géométrique, Collection d’art BCV, Lausanne

2010 SEXYY X’MAS, Galerie ©MARENDAZ, Genève Point de vue, Galerie Cheminée Nord, Genève Sweet People, Compact Space, Los Angeles Impressiones profundas y duraderas, curated by Leila Bustamante, Centro Cultural Borges, Buenos Aires Sweet People, Galerie Synopsism, Lausanne Vanitas, Hania Bailly Contemporary, Genève

2009 tendances | contemporary artists in review 2008, The Art Floor, Genève

2008 arteBA, Angel Guido Art Porject, Buenos Aires Galería del Paseo, Manatiales/Punta del Este (Uruguay)

2007 Le Fonds des Arts Plastiques 2002-2006, Espace Arlaud, Lausanne

2006 Artistes de la galerie : exposition d’été, Galerie Synopsism, Lausanne Branding, Centre PasquArt, Bienne

2005 Editions du Département arts visuels de l’Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne/ECAL, Galerie de Multiples, Paris ‘FleaMarket II’, temporarycontemporary, London Accrochage [Vaud 2005], mcb-a | Musée cantonal des beaux-arts, Lausanne

2004 Accrochage [Vaud 2004], mcb-a | Musée cantonal des beaux-arts, Lausanne

2003 Accrochage [Vaud 2003] ,mcb-a | Musée cantonal des beaux-arts, Lausanne

2002 Night of 1,000 Drawings, The Artists Space, New York Help l’elac!, l’elac (l’espace lausannois d’art contemporain), Lausanne

2001 Rebuild-Reflect-Rejoice, A Taste of Art Gallery, New York The Point, New York

2000 450 Broadway Gallery, New York Orchard 18 Gallery, New York Esthesia, The Snapper Bear Sudio, New York Access/ZONE, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York