"An artwork is indestructible, essential, the opposite of ephemeral and fashionable. In our paintings what is interesting is the duality between the immaterial, the feeling felt and the perseverance of the work, the constant pleasure it provokes. When the choice of a painting is profound, you will never want to part with it. It is this encounter that interests me.”

Laurent Gélis proposes a beautiful journey through a particular gaze that allows us to "see what we don't see". He shares his love of Brazil, of its different territories from Rio de Janeiro to Inhotim in Minas Gerais, but also the desire to share his emotions. Magical architecture, poetic landscapes, the abstraction of cities, the evocation of the carnival, indigenous faces are all sources of inspiration. Initially, he takes photos of places that enchant him. Then, they are selected according to the purity of the lines, the beauty of the shapes, the masses, the perspectives they offer, the imaginary shadows... a set of essential elements to transcribe the emotion experienced. Re-interpreted with sensitivity, the graphics thus created serve as a basis for his paintings.

The artist takes great care to build up colour ranges that he has identified during his long observation sessions. Several years ago, Laurent Gélis studied the geography of colours with Jean-Philippe Lenclos, one of the greatest French colourists. The choice is made from an inventory of colours collected thanks to photos, samples of materials collected, and objects found. The shots feed a graphic work composed of simple lines and coloured masses: "Painting, for me, is above all associations of colours which will enchant me". The viewer, sensitive to the images of Brazil, can project himself as he wishes by discovering these radiant masses.