Having drawn and painted since an early age, Sébastien Mahon studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, then at a graphic arts school. After a few exhibitions in Bordeaux, he moved to Paris, where he worked as a layout artist and illustrator in communication and marketing. He continued to paint despite the demands of his professional career, and began a series of oil landscapes. His work is built on pictorial assemblages of visual elements borrowed from images gathered here and there, exploring representation within the aberrations its own theatricallity. It features enigmatic scenes, set against a backdrop of nature overlooking urban territories, belonging to a parallel world. Blending texture and image through various processes, Sébastien Mahon produced during this period a voracious body of work, unapologetically figurative, oscillating between « ex-voto » style painting and confabulation. After an artist residency and first exhibitions abroad (New York, Bologna), he settled in China in 2008, opening a new chapter in his family life that would last nearly ten years. He immersed himself fully in this cultural experience, which would retroactively transform his work. Through group exhibitions and collaborations, he moved toward new media, discovering the qualities of rice paper and ink, and absorbing the spiritual energy of the country. Returning to France in 2019, he went back to Bordeaux, reconnecting with his roots and taking a fresh look at his region. His work, enriched by his entire journey, is more than ever guided by what he calls « variations of the real »: the desire to reconcile the inherently Western character of his art with the Asian influences that have left a lasting mark on his creative vision. His current work, in colored ink, explores expressive plant-like visions in which the play of light evokes the mystery of his relationship with nature and with his perception of it.
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