After honoring the young Franco-Argentine Olympe Racana-Weiler, the GGL Foundation continues its commitment to contemporary female artists with the exhibition “Different Sometimes, Always Free,” highlighting the enchanting talent of Marlène Mocquet.

An eminent French artist, Marlène Mocquet embodies the innovative spirit and overflowing creativity of contemporary art. Her internationally recognized artistic universe transports the viewer into an enchanting world filled with mysteries and emotions.

As a sculptor, painter, and visual artist, the artist constantly pushes the boundaries of her creativity through the bold exploration of various materials and techniques. Her ability to combine ceramics, painting, drawing, and installation allows her to create powerful works, the result of genuine mastery and creative alchemy.

Specially designed for the GGL Foundation, her exhibition “Different Sometimes, Always Free” pays tribute to the individuals who restored the nobility to the Hôtel Richer de Belleval: Alain Guiraudon, Jacques Guipponi, Jean-Marc Leygue, and Thierry Aznar. Additionally, it pays homage to the renowned Pourcel brothers, undisputed masters of the culinary art in this majestic place, and to Numa Hambursin, the first artistic director of the GGL Foundation, who initiated the remarkable permanent intervention “Longue-Vue,” created by Marlène Mocquet at the heart of the mansion.

This sculptural tribute holds particular importance for the artist, symbolizing a deep appreciation for this “chosen family” that showed trust during the creation of her work destined to withstand the test of time.

Represented in the manner of the busts of the Caesars that adorn the hall of honor, Marlène Mocquet engaged with each of them to extract a theme in harmony with their personalities. Each ceramic, meticulously staged, seems to come to life, captivating attention and encouraging the public to immerse themselves in each sculpted narrative.

In parallel and resonating with the sculptures, her paintings, simultaneously dreamlike, dense, and organic, express a profound sensitivity through bold color combinations and evocative compositions. The artist transcends the boundaries of the figurative and the abstract, creating canvases with surrealist accents, dotted with details and growths. Populated with characters, animals, and anthropomorphic objects, each painting reveals an excessively sophisticated story, with a falsely naive appearance.

The last room of the GGL Foundation will shed light on a clear echo of the culinary activity of the hotel that hosts the gastronomic restaurant of Jacques and Laurent Pourcel. An imaginary banquet, populated by the artist’s signature fantastical creatures, will materialize at the heart of a carefully crafted and immersive scenography.

Between paintings, sculptures, and installations, Marlène Mocquet reinvents and masterfully appropriates the exhibition space, conceived as a three-dimensional canvas that invites us, from the moment we step through the door, to discover a world where matter comes to life, where the imagination meets reality.

” Différent Parfois, Libre toujours ” promises us an enchanting journey, with a unique aesthetic, full of poetry and beauty, where each piece tells its own story…

Richard Leydier, directeur artistique de la Fondation GGL.