Date with the night
28 March 2025 – 17 May 2025
Opening reception: Thursday, March 27, 6–8:30pm
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Sébastien Bertrand is pleased to present Date with the night, Todd Bienvenu’s (1980, USA) fourth solo show at the gallery. This exhibition fills both gallery spaces with bright and bold collages on one side and vibrant oil paintings on the other. It gives a fresh look at Bienvenu’s ever-evolving practice, still deeply rooted in his personal experiences, adding yet another medium to translate his vision of the world.
He’s a night owl.
First, there’s twilight. The fading light, the sky set ablaze with fiery colors you can almost feel before they fully reveal themselves – the purples and blues, the burnished golds bleeding from the horizon. This is the time the whole city holds its breath, waiting for the night to take over.
The rooftops stretch out in front of him, jagged and uneven, the lights flickering one by one like fireflies caught in the concrete jungle. The skyline’s rough edges dissolve in the falling night, their sharp, rigid lines softened, blurred, torn apart and reassembled like a collage. He closes his eyes for a moment, humming that famous song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and imagines how this could translate into canvas.
He starts with the palette. Xerox sheets of paper painted in every color he can think of, hanging on the wall like an open paint box. The color chart is always decided ahead of time, wide-ranging but still restrictive: he can’t mix new shades.
Then he rips through the paper. No scissors, just his hands, and the mess it makes. Whereas oil paintings are slow, thoughtful, and wet, collages are about layering bright colors in an expressive, dynamic manner. They’re instinctive, reactive, made with almost impressionistic immediacy. Their restrictiveness is like a game: he can’t draw his way out of a problem and sometimes can’t find the color he wants, but somehow, he must make it work. This forces him to think in ways he doesn’t usually has to. Besides, this quick, non-toxic medium is perfect when you have a baby around...
The traffic hums in the distance, the subway rumbles, a shout rings out from the street below, and the lights keep flickering. He steps closer to the edge, taking in the sight of the Brooklyn Bridge stretching across the East River. The Empire State Building stands tall against the darkening sky. He can see it from his bed as well, which is kind of amazing. At least, his wife, who’s just moved to the US, thinks so. He’s not so sure. It’s hard to be wowed about something you’ve seen a hundred times. When you’ve lived in a place for twenty years, it just becomes a big, shiny cage, beautiful in a way that only someone who’s been stuck in it that long can appreciate. But the city feels different through her eyes now.
Todd Bienvenu, Stargazing, 2025
Acrylic collage on canvas, 90.2 x 76.2 cm. / 35 ½ x 30 in. (TB-2504)
Todd Bienvenu, Pink City, 2024
Oil on canvas, 101.6 x 127 cm. / 40 x 50 in.
Parenthood changes your vision, too, doesn’t it? He’s been thinking a lot about how becoming a father made him rediscover and rethink his surroundings. How he seems to be experiencing New York all over again – and not just from its skyline. The baby stares at everything with wonder – the city has become a whirlwind of colors, sounds, and movement. Together, they stroll in parks and discover new playgrounds. The rustling of trees, the birds chirping, the dogs barking, and the friendly and unfamiliar faces of people walking by make the world exciting for her, like a wonderland. It’s a perpetual discovery. Like, who would have thought so many subway stations don’t have elevators for the buggy?
He smiles at the sheer pragmatism of that thought as he sits on the rooftop ledge. The night has fallen by now, and the illuminated buildings stand proudly against the dark backdrop. The glittering mosaic of lights stretching across the horizon competes with the stars, almost obstructs their shine, and a sudden loneliness creeps in. There are so many people in this city, even when you don’t see them. The human presence is everywhere – in the sounds, in the lights – just like in his paintings. Whatever the subject, it’s always about the people. Even so, it’s so easy to feel tiny and insignificant: one single person in the huge city. You’re a sliver of something much larger than you, like a rockstar on a stage in front of a crowd. Part of, but apart. You’re exposed, vulnerable, but somehow empowered. It’s humbling and exciting all at once. A bit like having an art show...
Speaking of – he should probably return to the studio – those collages will not glue themselves. He looks up at the sky, takes a deep breath, and hums Date With The Night again. A few more minutes, and he’ll get back to work.
2025
Acrylic collage on canvas
88.9 x 109.2 cm. / 35 x 43 in.
TB-2509