At the invitation of POUSH Manifesto, the exhibition The Foam of Dreams comes into resonance with Hervé Mikaeloff’s selection on the theme of portrait and figuration in the French scene for the 2021 edition of Art Paris.

“I dream of a long dream where everyone would dream. I don’t know what will become of this new venture of dreams. I dream on the shore of the world and of the night.” Louis Aragon, A Wave of Dreams

Dreams can help us inhabit the world in a more sensitive way. Sometimes, these nocturnal visits are so powerful that they impose themselves on us and manifest themselves visually. Bringing together twelve artists from the emerging scene, a poetic unity of the figure appeared to us, drawing references from a common mythology. The exhibition The Foam of Dreams was conceived in several stages. Like when we read the first pages of a novel, the characters are initially unknown to us and the words do not make sense yet. Images are asleep, veiled. Everything must be deciphered. (Guillaume Valenti and Garance Matton).

We are invited to leave the rational world, break away from the mental filter and let ourselves slide into history. By pulling on these links, a huge, intricately meshed net rises to the surface of our conscience and brings out new figures… They take the shape of sleepers (Diane Dal-Pra), before becoming presences, fantasies, reveries. Here, each portrait is a projection of the soul and heart of its creator. It often
involves their intimacy, their perception of themselves or of what is around them. In the beginning, there is Water, immersion and diving inside the original cave (Charles Hascoët). One must cross the gate (Cecilia Granara) to reach the different layers of the dream (Rose Barberat, John Fou, Victoria Kosheleva, Lucile Piketty) and of fantasies (Madeleine Roger-Lacan). A flood of colors in successive waves carries and animates this gallery of floating portraits.

When dawn approaches, it is as if we were projected off the coast of reality (Dhewadi Hadjab). Of our night, only traces have remained (Louis Verret). These visual confessions formed in the depths are like the seeds of a new world.

An invitation to the wonder of a generation. What will remain of the foam of dreams?

Hervé Mikaeloff • Elise Roche

With Rose BARBERAT, Diane DAL-PRA, John FOU, Cecilia GRANARA, Dhewadi HADJAB, Charles HASCOËT, Victoria KOSHELEVA, Garance MATTON, Lucile PIKETTY, Madeleine ROGER-LACAN, Guillaume VALENTI and Louis VERRET

Rose Barberat and Madeleine Roger-Lacan are part of the 2021 selection of Art Paris, as well as Arnaud Adami, in residence at POUSH.