Franck Léonard: an atelier visit

Artists’ studios are often situated in unlikely places.

Conjuring the ghosts of elegant ladies dressed for a chilly evening on the town, Franck Léonard’s atelier is in former fur storage warehouse just outside Paris in Montreuil.

On this visit, Léonard treated us to selections from his oeuvre, curated to reveal his artistic progression and narrative themes.

From 2007, we enjoyed elegantly executed juxtapositions of sport stadium and abstract forms from his alphabetically-titled series. Figures of authority make an appearance in this series too, such as storm-trooper like riot police in on a sports field. Léonard is often concerned with the intrusion of the state apparatus into our modern lives, and it shows. Surveillance cameras crop up like weeds in his work.

From 2009 we were captivated by the detail and depth in his works return on investment and national expenses. Motifs are layered; the works reveal more and more with repeated viewing. Look for familiar logos, empty speech bubbles, architectural themes and explosions.

Moving into his present-day work, we could see the influence of architecture and a commentary on how space is used to attract and reward consumerism.


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