A Street Art exhibition for the OFF CHEVAL festival? That’s the choice of Domaine de Rocheville! It has lent its walls to a young local street art painter who rethinks equestrian painting, but not only that…
What is the Art Cheval Festival?
The Art Cheval Festival is the must-attend event of the autumn in Saumur (Maine et Loire), a city famous for its renowned riding school, the Cadre Noir.
For its 32nd edition, the Equestrian Committee of Saumur is organizing the festival around a collective exhibition of equestrian art entitled “Voltes.” Visible at the Centre d’Art Contemporain Bouvet Ladubay in Saint Hilaire Saint Florent, this exhibition is the result of a residency of three contemporary artists who question the place of the animal in our current society.
Off Cheval, the off-site exhibition tour
For over a decade, the central exhibition has been complemented by the Off Cheval festival, which transforms the city of Saumur and its surroundings into an open-air art gallery.
Around twenty public or private locations are transformed into exhibition spaces where painters, sculptors, and photographers express their unique vision of the horse.
Off Cheval at Domaine de Rocheville
For the third year, Domaine de Rocheville is participating in the OFF CHEVAL festival. After Laure Saigne and Renaud Hadef, it is now the turn of Saumur artist Kévin Bardin to take over the large exhibition hall of the domain, located in Parnay, a few kilometers from Saumur.
Equestrian canvases linked to street art mingle with other themes, always street art or pop art, some also imbued with graffiti, but all with a common point: color. An opportunity to discover a facet of these often misunderstood street arts…
Kévin Bardin, a colorful French Street Art artist
Who is Kévin Bardin ?
A contemporary artist from Saumur born in 1986, Kévin Bardin has been interested in art since his early childhood and expressed his passion by creating various canvases.
A true self-taught artist, his work gained recognition, and his decision to professionalize his art in 2020 marked a decisive turning point, allowing for a broader dissemination of his works. Indeed, the artist has made a name for himself in French and international urban art thanks to his painting “Fashion Victim,” a finalist for the 2020/2021 Graffiti Prize Graffart.
This recognition allowed him to exhibit in galleries and auction houses (Galerie Amarrage in Paris, Galerie Phybra in Longué, Saumur Town Hall) and to strengthen his notoriety. His work can also be followed on social networks and on the reference web platform Art Majeur.
His talent was then recognized by the City of Saumur, which commissioned him to create an immersive fresco, meticulously painted with a brush, to illustrate the 2024 Olympic year in front of the town hall.
Kévin Bardin’s artistic approach
His artistic influences
His original works, inspired by street art and pop art movements and marked by the influence of graffiti (one can recall the work of Basquiat), explore pop culture in a lively and symbolic way. Black and white backgrounds contrast with the vivid, even fluorescent, colors of the figurative subjects.
Childhood and animals (especially wild animals) are among his favorite themes. Kévin Bardin loves the carefree joy that can be seen in a child’s gaze, mixed with the wisdom and beauty of the animal he observes, thus creating an unconscious mutual respect between them. These recurring themes bring an emotional and narrative dimension that questions the relationship between innocence and contemporary reality.
His first success was “La Tortue,” a painting with a strong message about ocean protection that earned him recognition from the professional world. His series of dandy monkeys also quickly found their way onto the walls of art lovers and collectors.
His techniques
His use of acrylics, his preferred mediums, and sometimes collages, demonstrates great technical mastery. He reinvents, for example, a way to give relief to his canvases by projecting colors with the underside of paint spray cans rather than with traditional brushes!
His street art canvases are primarily in large formats. Although he appreciated the challenge posed by the city of Saumur in commissioning a three-panel fresco, he finds this medium delicate to work with. Indeed, it requires being able to easily access the exhibition site and paint on location.
This is why Kévin Bardin prefers to express himself on large-format canvases that cater to the current taste for streamlined interior spaces. Moreover, he believes that a large painting allows him to better convey his message and add numerous details to his scenes.
Kévin Bardin’s creative process
How does inspiration come to the street art painter? All the reflection is done beforehand and can sometimes take hours, depending on a defined project, a specific commission, or simply the reflection of the moment…
Once the artist puts his first brushstrokes, he goes fast and doesn’t stop! The result is already in his head and then quickly takes shape.
His projects
While continuing to navigate between his personal projects and commissions (personalized works, portraits), Kévin Bardin knows how to adapt his style to various universes.
The urban art artist remains very attached to his canvases representing children. He wishes to continue giving them color and life, always depicting them around animals.
Women of the world inspire him more and more, as in his painting Urban Wax, visible in the Street Art exhibition Chevauchée Urbaine, which portrays an African woman. He has also recently started painting canvases around the world of automobiles and wishes to continue developing these themes.
His artistic project is simple: to disseminate his art as much as possible, to share his works and ideas. When a canvas finds a buyer, it is the message it contains that endures, and a small part of the artist accompanies it.
Present in the French artistic landscape today, Kévin Bardin, therefore, wishes to continue exhibiting as much as possible in France, but he does not rule out the possibility of presenting his art abroad. He even envisions, if time allows, trying his hand at resin sculpture.
The Chevauchée Urbaine exhibition
évin Bardin had already created some canvases on the theme of the horse at the request of the city of Saumur. He painted a few more for the OFF CHEVAL festival at Domaine de Rocheville.
For this, he inserted codes related to the horse into his paintings, such as nobility, speed, but also the money that equestrian sport represents by using brands like Hermès or Ferrari. By deliberately omitting the faces of the riders, he highlights the animal, its beauty, and its power.
A successful bet, since no less than seven unprecedented equestrian paintings (“Empereur de l’amour,” “Jump,” “Catch Me,” “Indian Girl”…) can be admired in the Street Art exhibition “Chevauchée Urbaine” among a score of other canvases.
Among the other paintings in the exhibition, some represent children surrounded by wild animals (“Run in colors,” “Rires et Sagesses”…), others exotic animals (toucan, chimpanzees). Finally, a series is dedicated to pop art portraits of athletes, movie stars, and musicians such as Charlie Chaplin or Michael Jordan.
Kévin Bardin’s paintings deal with universal themes that appeal to all audiences. Rich in details, they deserve to be taken the time to observe in order to perceive all the hidden messages. You will also detect some critiques of society.
Exploring the street art exhibition “Chevauchée Urbaine” is immersing yourself in a 90s atmosphere, pop culture, black & white illuminated with fluo.
A must-see!
Chevauchée Urbaine: an unmissable exhibition and sale
Come explore Kévin Bardin’s first exhibition at Domaine de Rocheville while tasting the estate’s wines.
what is the difference between street art and pop art?
Street art and pop art, although sharing common points such as the use of popular images and accessibility to the general public, are two distinct artistic movements.
Street art was born in the 60s/70s in the American streets, with “Graffiti writing” (the art of graffiti) by Cornbread and Cool Earl. This movement includes graffiti, stencils, murals, and ephemeral installations on walls and buildings, using aerosols, markers, stencils, and other media. Often engaged and unauthorized, it expresses political and social concerns, intended to be seen freely by all.
Pop art, on the other hand, emerged in the 50s in the United States and Britain, in reaction to abstract art. With techniques such as screen printing and collage, artists transform everyday objects (cans, comic strips) and popular icons (stars) into works of art. An emblematic figure, Andy Warhol ironically critiques consumer society and the media, although his art remains primarily exhibited in galleries and museums.
Kévin Bardin’s painting, although more strongly inspired by street art, is influenced by these two artistic movements.
le Domaine de Rocheville: a place of predilection for art and wine
Combining wine tradition and ecological commitment, Domaine de Rocheville, which offers the street art exhibition “Chevauchée Urbaine,” is located in the heart of the Saumur-Champigny vineyard.
This 17-hectare Loire domain favors an eco-responsible approach in the production of its wines, highlighting the biodiversity and riches of the local terroir.
The emblematic grape varieties of the Loire, chenin and cabernet franc, are carefully crafted on-site to compose a varied range: age-worthy and light reds in AOC Saumur Champigny, fresh and lively whites in AOC Saumur Blanc, as well as refined bubbles in AOC Crémant de Loire.
Visitors have the opportunity to taste its vintages in an exceptional setting, whether on the terrace with a panoramic view of the Parnay valley or in the tasting room which, several times a year, hosts the creations of local and international artists.
Thus, Domaine de Rocheville stands out as a meeting place between wine, art, and nature, offering visitors a unique sensory experience.
practical information about the exhibition “Chevauchée Urbaine”
dates and times of the exhibition “Chevauchée Urbaine”
Dates: from October 17 to November 29, 2024 Hours: open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
where to see the street art exhibition Chevauchée Urbaine?
At Domaine de Rocheville, Chemin de Béniquet, Les Hauts de Valbrun, 49730 Parnay (between Saumur and Montsoreau, near the Wine Route, on the Loire bike path) Free entry
sale of works
All the artworks exhibited are available for sale (complete catalog on site)
contact
Do you have any questions? Click here to contact the domain