Gathering, a Room of Faces

Julia Gaudard uses a direct graphic language, but the paintings do not collapse into one repeated formula. Small changes in eyes, mouth, posture and colour are enough to give each figure a distinct presence.

Seen together, the works begin to behave like a group. The exhibition is less a line of portraits than a room populated by personalities.

Colour moves the eye through the installation. Strong blocks create rhythm from one painting to the next, while repeated shapes make differences more visible rather than less.

The wall becomes a sequence. Each painting can be isolated, but the pleasure of the show comes from seeing how the works speak to one another.

The exhibition becomes complete when people enter the room. Visitors stand among painted faces, look back at them and create another temporary gathering.

That relationship between image and public is central to the show. The paintings are graphic and immediate, but the social feeling they produce is surprisingly complex.