Ulysse Bordarias graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2014. He mainly practises painting and drawing, but also works with volume and photography. He is interested in the relationship between image and poetry, in working with compositions, in the imaginary and the documentary dimension. He has recently exhibited at the Galerie Valérie Delaunay in Paris, which represents him (2021), and at the Galerie municipale Mariton in Saint-Ouen (2018).
Back to collection
Artwork
Il pleuvait sur l’agora
It was raining on the agora, 2022 Graphite, black stone and charcoal on Canson Montval paper 200 × 310 cm | Existing work
Artist
-
Ulysse Bordarias
Ulysse Bordarias
Il pleuvait sur l'agora
Il pleuvait sur l’agora (It Was Raining on the Agora) depicts a multitude of thunderstorms, rainstorms and tornadoes descending upon and moving across urban and rural areas. The rain falls from a series of clouds moving across the land. Swimmers populate the image at regular intervals, battling their way through this hostile environment. On land, there are cities, mountainous and coastal areas, fields, lakes and seas. The drawing depicts all phases of the Earth’s water cycle: from seawater to clouds and from clouds to rain as they distribute water over the land. The artist collects this data and brings it together to create a changing, moving space that resembles a dream or a memory. The title Il pleuvait sur l’agora is inspired by the poem version of ‘Le Corbeau et le renard’ (1968) by Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers, which in turn is based on La Fontaine’s famous fable. In the drawing, the agora is visualised by the four amphitheatres, which allude to public space, debate and democratic structure. The metaphorical dimension of this title lies in the rain as a figure for unrest that can occur anywhere.