Julien Friedler (Multi-lingual edition)

Curated by Dominique Stella, the volume accompanies È finita la Commedia, a show to be held in the Church of San Samuele in Venice on the occasion of the Biennale Arte 2022.

Veering between light and dark, the installations illustrate Friedler’s legendary myths, in their relationship with mythologies and eternal beliefs. In the three parts of the book, the artist’s fantasy enacts the painful mysteries of man (Les Innocents), the purgatory of wandering nostalgia (Les Pierrots), and the glorious revelation (Forêt des âmes); the three works converge to create a single tale combining dramaturgy and salvation. The book documents the exhibition staged in three parts in the interior of the church, with the addition of a selection of paintings and photographs by the artist. The monograph also features an extensive illustrated biography exploring the artist’s career from his debut to the present day.

Julien Friedler (Brussels, 1950) is one of a kind in the world of contemporary art. His literary past, his background as a psychoanalyst, his love of philosophy, and his authorship of several erudite works as well as his passion for travelling and encountering different and frequently distant realities form the basis of a complex thought system that considers the visual arts as an emblematic realization hypothesis. Paintings, sculptures, and installations convey a rich, complex fantasy, representing the visible signs of a mythical truth, which the artist develops by means of onirical themes with a legendary dimension. This Belgian artist is the bearer of a humanist vision outlined through his works as well as through a sharing activity developed by the Spirit of Boz, an association involved in the creation of collective work, defending all forms of contemporary art.