Salvador Dali is alive and well and living in Paris. Well, sort of. In an exhibition of more than 200 drawings at l’Espace Dali until March 31 2017, famous comic book artist and author Joann Sfar effectively resurrects the Spanish master of surrealism.
In an enchanted labyrinth composed of works by the surrealist painter, alongside haute couture creations from Dali-collaborators Maison Schiaparelli, Sfar interweaves his own skills as a cartoonist to tell a whimsical story: an artist shuts himself away in a manor house with four nude supermodels, in an attempt to reproduce Dali’s’s most famous works. The comic-style tale is scattered around the exhibition, blended with Dali’s own works, creating a surreal, disjointed dreamscape, a romp through this illustrated saga.
The differing degrees of interpretation in this multi-faceted exhibition make it accessible to everyone - you don’t need an IQ of 150 to grasp the nuances. And since Sfar’s nude sketches are not obscene or erotic in the slightest, even children can come join for the ride. A fittingly surreal experience to be enjoyed by the masses.
TRANSLATION: LEONIE CATER