Hugo Galerie is thrilled to present Marc Chalmé's fourth solo exhibition in New York, Dans l'écho du réel. The new collection will continue the French artist’s exploration of the illusive nature of light in both interior and exterior settings. His subjects range from still lifes to figures to urban street-scenes but his unmistakable approach remains the same.

Chalmé’s work is distinguished by his sensitive treatment of the complex relationship between light and shadow. His twilight scenes capture eerie moments in the streets of French cities; endowed with a mystery and strangeness, his buildings glow and the illuminated streets emanate an intensely peculiar quality. His interior scenes boast the same mastery of light but in domestic settings – a woman gazing out the window, an empty hallway with an open door leading to the unknown. The new series features oil on canvas and board pieces as well as charcoal drawings on paper. His pensive sketches show off his talents in depicting light, even in black and white. Chalmé does not work from photographs but rather from his memory of certain moments and observations; this may explain the peculiar feeling in his work – he dreams realities that he then translates into paintings – they are not strictly realistic interpretations of the world.

Chalmé was born in 1969 in Lorient, a seaside town in Brittany in France. He studied art in the French cities of Nantes and Renne. Afterwards, he studied under artist Georges Pichon, winner of the coveted Prix de Rome. Chalmé spent many of his early years seeking out his own, individual style, which he has now firmly established. Since 1991, he has split his time between painting and teaching. His work has been shown consistently in galleries in Europe since his first solo exhibition in 2005. He currently lives and works in Nantes, France and will attend the opening reception on November 4, 2017.