French Young Artists Award winner Thomas Auriol highlights vibrant city

On May 19, the solo exhibition, Where Should I Take This Image?, by Thomas Auriol, the winner of the 2020 Yishu 8 French Young Artists Award, opened at Yishu 8 Beijing Art Center.

After two months of residency and exchange, he used his brush to present the life he observed in Beijing. The exhibition is scheduled to continue until June 19.

Auriol was born in 1987 in France and currently lives and works in Saint-Coulomb, Brittany.

Previously, he has held solo exhibitions in France and Spain and participated in group exhibitions in France, Switzerland and Romania.

During his two months in Beijing, the sports-loving artist rode his bicycle daily, exploring the streets and alleys, immersing himself in the colors and lights of Beijing to find inspiration for his artwork.

"For me, painting is a way to capture and question the things around me," Auriol says.

"So, I began painting in a highly realistic manner, accurately documenting the light, shapes and colors of this new world.

"There is no fixed pattern, just an attempt to let the energy of colors flow."

Christine Cayol, founder of Yishu 8, wrote in the exhibition preface, "During his residency at Yishu 8 in Beijing, Thomas Auriol chose to be as free as possible to be himself: a body that observes the world, capturing the waves of bicycles on wide streets and also capturing glimpses through the studio window."

Aude Urcun Brunel, cultural attache at the French embassy in China, said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition that Yishu 8 not only provides the artists with accommodation and studios but also accompanies their artistic growth, assists them in their creative process, and organizes exhibitions.

"Next year marks the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations," Brunel says.

"And the French embassy in China and Yishu 8 will collaborate on a retrospective exhibition at Yishu 8," she adds.