ON A SHELF

The exhibition ON A SHELF by Nathalie Du Pasquier features a mural that spans the walls, designed to prevent the eye from settling on any single neutral point. The installation is presented without a prescribed reading direction, chronology, or designated first work, allowing visitors to engage with the ensemble at a glance before focusing on individual pieces or elements within them. The presentation operates on two levels: an overall assessment and a closer examination, with the visitor navigating between these perspectives.

The exhibition's title refers to a conceptual shelf that is not a physical object but a painted element, two-dimensional in depth. This representation carries nothing, yet supports everything, creating a central contradiction. Canvases are arranged around this illusory support, interacting like characters. The wall painting functions as both a stage and a participant. Recent canvases revisit Du Pasquier's earlier visual language, reintroducing still life as an explicit subject with recognizable objects, shadows, and positions. However, the genre is reinterpreted to emphasize the tension between forms and their relationships, rather than a mere depiction of objects. Ceramic works, including the Paesaggi and Coppie di Fatto series, are integrated, highlighting the exhibition's architectural qualities of volume, surface, and proportion. The overall presentation, while appearing playful, is a deliberate exploration of spatial dynamics and viewer interaction.