Following the successful retrospective presentation of Edouard Sacaillan’s work in Versailles in 2018, Kalfayan Galleries (Haritos 11, Kolonaki, Athens) are pleased to present the solo exhibition of new works with reference to one of his most popular themes, the ‘spectators’.

Edouard Sacaillan’s first solo exhibition focused exclusively on the theme of 'spectators' was held at Kalfayan Galleries in Thessaloniki in 2008. The 2020 gallery show in Athens manifests the endless, hearty and multi-faceted inspiration of the artist, who is researching the theme of ‘spectators’ from a sociological and philosophical view-point. Incarnating the existential anxiety of the modern man, Sacaillan’s 'observers' star in scenes from everyday life. The environments and themes of the ‘spectators’ are enriched and the urban landscape plays a dominant role in the works presented in the exhibition: images from the subway, daily traffic jams or long queues at tram stations.

"People together, with their full individual characteristics, are depicted standing or sitting together, at a distance from us, immobile or in motion, in the foreground, who”, as Sacaillan points out, “embody in particular the particularity and uniqueness. Everybody is so different and at the same time everyone is the same, in the sense that while we all seem to be very different we are all alike."

The experience of 'observation' and the interconnection of experiences, emotions and thoughts are achieved by painting mastery and through the rendering of the idiosyncratic expressions of each 'spectator'. At the same time, in the exhibition 'We', the spectators of the Sacaillan, instead of having lost all means of communication and social interaction, are essentially coexisting and psychologically connected to each other more than ever before, as individuals communicating on a social level. Pursuing not only the emotional but also the intellectual connection as a whole, as a company and as citizens, they observe now us-the visitors of the exhibition. They are persons alive in front of our eyes, like us, in dialogue with us, in a two-way and interactive relationship through painting.

The different faces of the spectators also compose a contemporary portrait of society, demonstrating the vital desire for social engagement through the painting of E. Sacaillan. His paintings show the love of fellow men, "against nihilism related with futility and loneliness arising from a criticism which rejects." The human forms of Sacaillan reflect the deep love of the artist and therefore the thorough study of ancient sculpture and painting, various manifestations of early Christian art and manuscripts, as well as Armenian art and artists such as Bonnard, Hopper, O. Dix, Picasso and de Chirico. At the same time combining abstract art with realism, Sacaillan attempts to return to an ancient world where, as he states, "observation, virtue and ideal/hope will be combined".

Edouard Sacaillan (born 1957, Thessaloniki) lives and works in Paris. He studied at the School of Fine Arts, Athens (1976-1981 with Mytaras, Moralis) and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux- Arts in Paris (1984-87 with Leonardo Cremonini). Awards: 18th Alexandria Biennial Painting Prize (1994); "The Trophies of Color, the Lefranc-Bourgeois National Painting Award", Lefranc-Bourgeois, Cirque d'Hivers, Paris (1992); Prix de l'Académie de Médecine de France (1987). Recent retrospective exhibition: 'Les Spectateurs - Retrospective Édouard Sacaillan', Espace Richaud, Versailles, Paris (2018). He has exhibited his work in numerous group exhibitions in Greece and abroad: Center Pompidou, Paris; Belvedere, Vienna; Museum of Art, Tel Aviv; National Gallery and Benaki Museum, Athens; Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki. His works are featured in major private and museum collections in Greece and abroad such as the following: The Louis-Dreyfous Family Collection, New York; Ministère de l'Économie, Paris; LefrancBourgeois, Paris; National Gallery - Alexandros Sundzou Museum, Athens; State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki; National Bank of Greece; Frisira Foundation, Athens; Teloglion Foundation, Thessaloniki; Rhodes Municipal Art Gallery; The Sotiris Felios Collection, Athens; Hellenic Telecommunications Organization, Athens et al.