moebius: transe forme at the fondation cartier, paris

‘moebius-transe-forme’ fondation cartier, paris, france on now until 13 march, 2011

‘inside moebius 6’, second park, by moebius, 2007 © moebius production

the fondation cartier pour l’art contemporain presents an exhibition devoted to the work of french comics artist jean giraud, more commonly known by his pseudonyms moebius and gir. ‘moebius-transe-forme’ is the first major show in paris dedicated to giraud’s contribution to the graphic medium, chronicling his earlier work to his more progressive delineation that often goes beyond the traditional boundaries of the discipline. presented in an impressive collection of original notebook sketches, comic book panels, paintings, unpublished drawings as well as an animated film, the exhibition explores the theme of metamorphosis, an overriding motif present in the artist’s body of work.

‘moebius-transe-forme’ at the fondation cartier in paris, france image courtesy fondation cartier image by olivier ouadah

exhibition view image by olivier ouadah

a collaboration between moebius and the fondation cartier, the first part of the exhibition in the jean nouvel-designed building is an account of six major characters from the artist’s comics. featuring a curvy display table unit that recalls characters of a moebius strip defines the ground level space while directing the viewers along a thematic route. the long glazed facades that flank the room is outfitted with wall length screens depicting a blown up drawing by giraud.

wall length screen of ‘inside moebius 6’ image by olivier ouadah

curvy display unit exhibiting the artist’s work image by olivier ouadah

created in collaboration with belgian scriptwriter jean-michel charlier, the western serial ‘blueberry’ is one of gir’s most well known work. the character lieutenant blueberry goes under a noticeable evolution in his character and personality throughout the series, something that giraud depicted in a noticeable change in tone and graphic representation.

exhibited work photo: olivier ouadah

drawing for the cover of ‘blueberry’, volume 24: mister blueberry, by gir, 1995 gouache and acrylic on paper, 44.3 x 33.6 cm © dargaud / charlier / giraud

giarud’s style varies greatly from character to character, as well as sometimes from panel to panel. well versed in conveying different graphic atmosphere through his rendering–the minutely detailed to the rapidly sketched–his ability to dramatically adapt to a specific tone of the narrative is further facilitated by the wide variety of medium he employs which include etchings, watercolour, gouache and black and white illustrations.

portrait of ‘blueberry’ by gir, 1973 © moebius production

exhibition view image by olivier ouadah

the second part of the exhibition shows moebius’ attraction and fascination with the science fiction genre. having collaborated on a number of major films such as ‘the fifth element’, ‘tron’, ‘alien’ and ‘abyss’, the abstract and hybrid elements present in his body of work explore the question of existence and discovery.

blown up drawings and comic book panels image by olivier ouadah

image by olivier ouadah

image © designboom

original drawings image © designboom

giraud is one of the rare authors who frequently includes himself as a character within his own comic strips, often with a great diversity of style and graphic representation. ‘inside moebius’ is a series by moebius where he surrounds himself with his own heroes in an imaginary landscape. his self-portrayal offers a complex but insightful look in to his artistic identity which often shifts and transforms as evidenced by his use of a dual pseudonym.

a model of the artist’s hand image © designboom