JOËL DEGBO​

JOËL DEGBO​ was born in Paris. He lives and works in Aulnay sous Bois. A graduate of the School of Fine Arts (Beaux Arts) in Paris – he received unanimous honors by the jury – he is also a graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Nantes and followed a painting and video course in St. Martin School of London. Joël Degbo paints or films this wisdom known to all: “the past informs the future.” Through his videos, he shows the present at work, the instant: the destruction of a building, the construction of a boiler room… The images of these seemingly insignificant subjects do not leave us and eventually have us questioning our definition of heritage. By contrast, painting shows a state of being, where the past, present and future are mingled: we see abandonment, the decomposition of a carcass on the edge of a road, plants grow; it speaks of nostalgia, a feeling shared by all, regardless of where you grew up. The light in all this allows us to renew our gaze, it is like a point of view or position. Here there are no humans, but their passing, everything is calm and the different colors of the night make the light.