LE MIROIR DE L'ANIMAL: Myriam Mechita et Carmelo Zagari, curator : Christine Blanchet

The exhibition at Galerie Sator brings together for the first time two artists, Myriam Mechita (b. 1974) and Carmelo Zagari (b. 1957). Through their distinct formal languages, both of their bodies of work are populated by animal and human figures that evoke existential dualities such as suffering and hope, life and death, and memory and oblivion. The animal as an alter ego—the dog for Myriam Mechita, the monkey for Carmelo Zagari—stands as a powerful representation of their respective universes, ranging from the dreamlike visions in Zagari's paintings to those questioning "the strangeness of the thread of life" in Mechita's ceramics.

From September 1st to 15th, the two artists present an unprecedented dialogue featuring works created specifically for this exhibition.

An engraver and sculptor, Carmelo Zagari is first and foremost a painter and performance artist. He is known for working on a very large scale, with pieces spanning up to more than 40 meters in length. These frescoes are true panoramas of his universe, which is filled with codes, signs, and dream imagery. He lives in Crespian (Gard) and teaches at the École des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier.

Spanning drawings, sculptures, and installations, Myriam Mechita loves to confront different mediums. Her works blend tangible and mystical realities, presenting a universe where paradoxes coexist: figures with severed limbs, fragile birds, dogs, women, and more. She lives in Berlin and teaches at the École des Beaux-Arts in Caen.

Holding a PhD in Art History from the University of Provence, Christine Blanchet is an art history lecturer (University of Aix-en-Provence, University of Amiens, Paris IV-Sorbonne, private schools in Paris...) and an exhibition curator. A specialist in contemporary stained glass and architecture, many of her projects focus on the theme of war and its representation.