Galadriel Gestin was born on a train in 1980 – Dreamlike, poetic and punk altogether, his work sets a fascinating tension between Eros and Thanatos, between a temptation for nihilism and a quest for meaning. In some respect somber and chaotic, his pictural universe is always balanced by the palpable presence of sensuality and lightheartedness. This being recognized, how could one define, in the wider history of modern art, the creative ground from which emerges an immediately recognizable and eminently personal painting? Certainly, in a renewal of figurative arts as a start. More specifically in a triangular space of which the first angle would be surrealism, by the ubiquity of language, intertwining forms in an automatic writing kind of dynamic, as well as with the intriguing words his works borrow as titles. The second angle of this triangle would be symbolism by the repetition of signs such as amphoras, eyes, tears or ladders. The last angle of this triangle would be expressionism by representations, mainly of the female character, extracted from reality to be metamorphosed by Gestin’s mindset and intuitions. Beyond this triangular, other influences come into play, such as the Beatniks in literature, as well as Dylan Thomas or Arthur Rimbaud in poetry. His work gathers next to 1500 pieces painted on a variety of supports and objects. He regularly delivers public performances giving birth to works bound ephemeral, during which he either paints on a plexiglass, facing his public, or directly on a model, who then becomes the canvas. His work is followed by many collectors in Europe and in the US.