For his second solo show at galerie jeanroch dard, Christophe Chemin touches on the subjects of desire, seduction and smile. More than a break, it is truly an evolution. Christophe Chemin moves little by little from figurative narration to emotion and feeling. The prologue of this series is the "Wodaabe" tribe of African nomads and their nuptial rites, where men put on the most extravagant make-up and the criteria for beauty are the white of the eyes and of the teeth. From this point on, they become, according to their beliefs, "the most beautiful creatures in the world." Christophe Chemin wonders: what exactly is behind a smile ? What is hidden by the beauty of a row of perfect teeth ? What is the real seductive power of the smile ? From Marylin Monroe to the teenager's braces, through the blackened teeth of asian women, he pushes his reflexion on desire and seduction to the immaculate whiteness of the Taj Mahal. This resulted in something quite unexpected for Christophe Chemin. He was wishing to work on beauty and to be less dark than usual… Ultimate paradox, picturally-speaking these may well be the darkest drawings he's ever made.  A very relative blackness, since behind it an enigmatic softness unfolds and offers itself.  Behind these smiles, there is a tragic and desperate urgency, a muted cry, a pressing need to be loved. Behind these choppers hides the fear of rejection, and behind these starry skies and landscapes, hope. It is his singular way of talking about desire. Maybe a way of confiding to us, the spectators, that he, too, is in love. DOWNLOAD PDF