Semiose
Drew Dodge , Etats-Unis
"Earth Song"
Drew Dodge, Thread of life, 2024, Oil on canvas Photo : Tiger Rocha Courtoisie Semiose, Paris
Is it sensuality or agony? Seduction or terror? Is it life or death? Perhaps things do not necessarily have to be in one state or another, and do not necessarily have to be in harmony, but integrated into a heterogeneous apparatus of push and pull – existing at the same time, in the same tableau.
Drew Dodge’s paintings are synergistic systems, colossal monuments that harbor both life and death. The different patterns that make up his paintings are imbued with explicit symbolism while constituting enticing enigmas. Yet, the divergent symbols synchronize, coalescing into an image whose coherence relies on distinction.
Solo show of Drew Dodge
May 4th to June 15th, 2024
The gallery
Founded in 2007 in the 20th arrondissement of Paris before moving to Le Marais in 2011, Semiose immediately established itself in the art scene as a gallery with a programming rooted in the margins. Nourished by underground cultures, it champions forms and ideas born in political, social, or geographical fringes.
The practice of citation serves as a common thread among the artists represented by the gallery and raises complex questions related to the creation and dissemination of images, the role and meaning of archives, and visual culture at large. Semiose promotes an aesthetic based on questions of taste and, consequently, cultural hierarchies. Techniques of collage, appropriation, and détournement are shared by most artists, leading to a converging interest in representation, referencing the real and the everyday.
Young artists mingle with historical figures or those of international stature. Over time and through a patient professional network, institutions and public collections have forged unbreakable bonds with the artists promoted by the gallery. Semiose also goes beyond mere representation of artists: it fully plays its role in the art ecosystem with a scientific and curatorial approach. It ensures the production of artworks and oversees rigorous documentary and archival work around the represented artists.
Semiose further expands its activities through a publishing house, Semiose éditions. Available internationally, over a hundred titles have been published to date, including monographs, artist books, writings and essays, a magazine, and a collection of artists' coloring books.
Gallery artists
Salvatore Arancio, Amélie Bertrand, Szabolcs Bozó, Amy Bravo, Olaf Breuning, William S. Burroughs, Hugo Capron, Anthony Cudahy, Céline Duval, Oli Epp, Steve Gianakos, Sébastien Gouju, Hippolyte Hentgen, Otis Jones, Aneta Kajzer, Laurent Le Deunff, Justin Liam O’Brien, Françoise Pétrovitch, Abraham Poincheval, Présence Panchounette, Laurent Proux, Stefan Rinck, Ernest T., Moffat Takadiwa, Julien Tiberi, Gert & Uwe Tobias, Felice Varini, Philemona Williamson, Xie Lei
