‘L’Esprit singulier’ à la Halle Saint-Pierre

Undoubtedly the epicentre of Outsider Art in Paris, the three-decade-old Halle Saint-Pierre has never been afraid to take risks when it comes to its boldly naïf, often anti-establishment exhibits. Their latest, ‘L’Esprit Singulier’, delves deep into the vast 2,500-work collection of Jean-Claude Volot, whose archives throw up everything from the haunting spectral forms of painters Alain Nahum and Jean Klépal to Hélène Lagnieu’s purposely disturbing anatomical sketches. The show at times feels like a full-blown assault on the senses, with Roger Decaux’s labyrinth of scrawny monsters and Daisuke Ichiba’s macabre manga-inspired pieces making for particularly uncomfortable viewing.

TRANSLATION: FLORA HUDSON