David Rappeneau's "Untitled" (2022) / Courtesy of the artist, Gladstone Gallery
David Rappeneau conjures some of the most intriguingly distorted and densely layered portraits of nihilistic youth culture with a toolkit of ballpoint pen, fluorescent marker and acrylic paints.
Within his anime-like paper drawings, the young, rawboned figures, with their contorted and elongated bodies, exist in a peculiar state of lethargy. Some loll on rooftops in ambiguous city settings — New York, Paris, Amsterdam or Tokyo? — while others hide themselves in a cramped bathroom or amid wrinkled bedsheets.
Cigarettes, bottles of alcohol, pills and smartphones often accompany these edgy misfits, yet they appear indifferent to the impulsive, hedonistic pleasures in which they indulge.
Overall, Rappeneau’s aimless youth seems to perpetually float somewhere between reality and surrealist fantasy.
Fifteen of his latest drawings, all untitled, have been unveiled at Gladstone Gallery Seoul as part of his first solo exhibition mounted in Asia. The New York-headquartered art dealer opened its space in the capital’s southern Cheongdam-dong last year as its first and only outpost in the region.
David Rappeneau's "Untitled" (2023), left, and "Untitled" (2022) / Courtesy of the artist, Gladstone Gallery
Much like Banksy and Martin Margiela — but at a more extreme level — Rappeneau chooses to stay in the shadows of anonymity, refusing to grant any interviews or make public appearances.
Little is known about the French-born artist, with his social media being the sole window into his work since 2014.
There is certainly an added appeal of mystique when a creator deliberately avoids the limelight at every turn. But for Rappeneau, the choice of obscurity also aligns well with his online artistic pursuits, noted Kang Ju-hee, senior director of Gladstone Gallery Seoul.
“Online anonymity provides him with the creative freedom to express and lay bare his messages much more openly through images that unsettle or shock us,” she remarked.
For some, his particularly stylized portraits of languid youth are reminiscent of the art of Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele, characterized by grotesquely twisted bodies and raw sexuality. For others, they recall the moody yet enchanting drawings of the 20th-century British book illustrator Arthur Rackham.
Using these distinct styles, the artist presents a fish-eye peephole looking into the disquieting world of desire, consumption and indulgence — the world we all know too well but often are reluctant to acknowledge.
Installation view of David Rappeneau's exhibition, "Special K," at Gladstone Gallery in southern Seoul / Courtesy of the artist, Gladstone Gallery
The exhibition’s title, “Special K,” is a term encapsulating twisted facets of ultra-contemporary youth culture that appear in Rappeneau’s own drawings, according to the gallery.
The most obvious reference is to Special K cereal, a brand that once faced criticism for its unhealthy weight-loss marketing campaigns targeting women.
In his work, the artist frequently showers his figures with prominent designer labels and brand logos. “He seems to question how, through these advertisements, individuals are often compelled to fixate on singular elements for their self-esteem or standards of beauty,” Kang said.
“Special K” is also the title of a 2001 single released by the British alternative rock band Placebo, with lyrics alluding to the seductive allure of and desire for escapism.
“I would say that Seoul is a fitting place for international galleries, including us, to host exhibitions that are more experimental in nature or focused on showcasing emerging creatives like Rappeneau, given the city’s open-minded audiences,” the gallery’s Seoul director noted.
“Special K” runs through Jan. 13, 2024, at Gladstone Gallery Seoul.
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