Messages Strengthened by the Union of Words and Painted Images

Jean-Michel Alberola began his artistic activities in the 1980s. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1982 and, since 1991, has pursued his unique artistic practice while teaching at the École des Beaux-Arts (National Higher School of Fine Arts) in Paris.

In Japan, he has participated in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale since 2000. In its fourth iteration this year, he presented his first documentary film chronicling the lives of local residents.

Alberola is characterized by his incorporation of words and quotations into his work. The meaning of his subtly political words and the visual images he depicts constantly interact, their exchange flexibly taking form in simple drawings, outdoor murals, and publications such as essays and critiques.

Beneath his words, which can be heard as warm whispers yet harbor sharp ideologies that serve as commentary on society, lies a world teeming with power and a history that has allowed and nurtured it.

His words strengthen their message by connecting with enigmatic painted images, leading the viewer, though perplexed, to touch upon the reality of the world he observes by interpreting their meaning for themselves, thereby engaging for a time with the artist's thoughts.

At the Forum, in addition to several objects exhibited in 2006 at La Verrière, the foundation gallery of Hermès in Brussels, Belgium, new murals are on display.

The simple French title “Les Grands et les petits” encompasses not only the physical size of the works but also layered and contrasting meanings that can be interpreted as "adults and children" or "greatness and mediocrity," expressing the vast horizon of images that Alberola's words present in various guises.

Hermès Japon
Tel. 03-3569-3300