For his first exhibition in France, at Galerie Lelong & Co. in May 2019, Samuel Levi Jones presented a set of large format works that were collections of flattened bindings of books and portfolios, works which brilliantly played with a combination of stories and materials.

For this second appearance in Paris, the artist from Indianapolis has focused on the interior of these deconstructed books, working with the pulp thus obtained to produce brightly coloured monochromes. He links these “paintings” to his perception of the social and “safety” crisis by giving his works titles that directly evoke recent events in France and the US. Rise Up, Théo, End Systemic Oppression, Michel Zecler. He has also worked with the spines of these dismantled books, creating precariously-balanced structures, a metaphor for certainties that are currently being questioned.

A catalogue showcasing the artist’s work over the last five years will be published at the end of May.