7 Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques: Peihang Benoît solo exhibition

Dates

2 MARCH 2024 - 20 APRIL 2024

Reception

9 MARCH (SAT.) 4:30 P.M.

Venue

TKG+ Projects 2F, No. 15, Ln. 548, Ruiguang Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei 11492, Taiwan

Artist

Peihang Benoît

Curator

HSU Fong-Ray

HSU Fong-Ray

When first coined, the French word for a wanderer "Flâneur" was without a feminine form, as women weren't considered as possible participants in explorative pursuits. The eventual emergence of "Flâneuse"[1] in the early 1900s signalled a shift, and acknowledgement of irreversible change. Benoît’s artistic exploration delves into the evolution of the term "Flâneur" and its gendered counterpart, "Flâneuse."

Her journey, spanning from Taipei to the United States, London, and now Paris, intricately intersects with her newfound role as a mother. In her paintings, the transition from a wandering artist immersed in diverse landscapes to a parent is revealed through the evolving hues of her brushstrokes, navigating memories from past journeys to the present.

In her Parisian chapter, the city serves both as muse and constraint. This exhibition, named after Benoît’s first home in Paris "7 Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques," encapsulates her nuanced journey—an artist and a woman actively immersed in household maintenance- the everyday life experienced by many. This immersion portrays the repetitive nature of daily life, exploring the delicate balance of family and artistic development. The interrogation of identity also plays a central role in Benoît’s new work. Starting a family, moving to Paris and taking on her husband’s last name, so as to better assimilate into her new city, Benoît, an artist and expatriate who has resided in diverse locales, grapples with questions of belonging and personal experiences.

While her daily routine as a parent has replaced the adventurous travels of her past, within her mental space, she assumes the role of a "Flâneuse," constructing a private world that transcends the limitations of time and space. It is not just a reflection of what she has lost but, more importantly, an abundant celebration of the moments of joy she has discovered. From the familiar spaces of her home and blending them with the ephemeral places she has once been, the celebration of daily affection and the contemplation of competing identities are seamlessly woven into her paintings.

This realm is immortalized through intricate brushstrokes, layered paint, and an array of references spanning from the past travels to the present. The paintings outline poetic narratives about the body, memory, and movement, capturing moments of profound emotion and revealing the interplay of multi-layered identities.

Benoît's journey, depicted in emotionally charged tales, crafts fragmented identities, space, and time. From Peihang Huang to Peihang Benoit, 7 Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, Paris, to 15 Lane 548 Ruiguang Road, Taipei , it is a heartfelt portrayal of an artist, a woman, a mother, a wife, situated in the space between movement and stillness, in time and out of time.

Peihang Benoit

Peihang Benoit explores time, space, memory and identity in her practice.

Inspired by her own migratory experience, she starts with collages of images gleaned both from historical materials and contemporary everyday media. Benoit weaves the hidden relations between visual documents of the human experience and reflects the ways of seeing in the digital era, mostly through painting; also ceramic, photography and other project based approaches.

Born in Taipei, 1984, moved to the U.S. with her academic parents at a very young age and then moved back to Taipei, then in London, and Paris. Benoit has a bilingual upbringing and an experience of changing countries multiple times that reflects a general human condition especially in contemporary time. She has also been influenced by her feminist mother, seen as a modern woman in the society in her own time. These experiences has provoked her interest into such subjects in her practice.

Benoit holds both BA and MFA degree in Fine Art at National Taiwan Normal University, and received another MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Arts, London. She has gained the prestigious Chi-Mei awards from Chi-Mei Museum, The Chu Teh- Chun Award, Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize (UK) and has been a recent finalist of Hopper Prize(US). Her works have been exhibited in the Saatchi Gallery, Macau Art Museum, Museum of Tokyo University of the Arts, Pier 2 Art Center, Chi-Mei Museum, AKI Gallery, and Yiri Arts; in Taiwan, U.K., China, Japan, South Korea, Germany and other countries.

Benoit currently lives and works in Paris.