Marc Padeu: Le Mariage de Roxane

Larkin Durey is delighted to present an exhibition of new work by Marc Padeu; his fifth solo show with the gallery.

Padeu’s paintings capture moments of respite, repose and celebration, paying homage to the ceremonies that underpin everyday lives in an African context. Vivid and sensuous, each scene is an attempt to capture the present in full flush before it passes into memory.

Drawing on his early training as a fresco painter for the church and his appreciation for the light, colour and detail found in Impressionist painting, Padeu’s work draws a direct line between the Western canon of painting and the contemporary experience of communities in Cameroon, celebrating Black lives on their own terms.  

In this current body of work, we are reunited with Roxane, a recurring, central figure in Padeu’s recent paintings. Previous series focused on her engagement party and baptism; now we are invited to be guests at her wedding party. From bursts of laughter in a lush garden and whispers and conversations around the wedding meal, to the tenderness of a gesture between two sisters, this project explores the emotional charge of fleeting moments that reveal dreams and desires that are universal and timeless. While every scene is carefully researched and composed, Padeu’s compassion is such that his paintings retain an informal intimacy. We may not know the individuals he paints, but gathered into their lives at such pivotal moments, we feel a profound sense of connection.

Padeu was born in 1990 and lives and works in Yaoundé, Cameroon. His work is included in the touring exhibition, When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration currently at Bozar, Brussels and has been acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada and Space K Museum, South Korea.