In Western culture, the color red carries a dual ambiguity. It simultaneously signals passion and danger. Think of a red heart and a red warning sign. It is also the strongest color in the spectrum. Both luminous and dense. Like Faust who falls into Hell for love, a dangerous love story unfolds in this work.

Red Glow is a series of drawings inspired by the color red. Seven monochromatic digital drawings each 50 x 65 cm, are conceived as seven views of the same scene. They depict tightly framed characters. A gradient of the same red hue, in lighter tones, is used as a background, connecting the seven compositions. Solid bodies against ethereal spaces. The close framing suggests something caught in a brief glance — out of fear or shyness. A look motivated by desire or apprehension. Some characters are in the midst of an action; others remain still. A prelude to a narrative. For the exhibition at West Bund Art Center in Shanghai, the series was printed with phosphorescent red ink which reacts to black light and was displayed in a darkroom to amplify the drama.

Attractive danger — Growing up as a gay teenager means confronting the gaze of others. It means stepping outside the boundaries of the group. Your peers no longer fully recognize you as one of their own. It is like a transparent secret — sometimes others know what you are before you know it yourself. It is through their insults that you come to define your true self. Didier Eribon explains this process in his essay Reflections on the Gay Question. From that moment on, you understand that loving is a dangerous game for you — a coin with two sides. And yet, as any teenager knows, desire is stronger than anything.

Repulsive love — It is difficult to understand how love can provoke hate. Red Glow is about that tension: a mix of seductive and threatening attitudes, calling and warning at the same time. The series is articulated like a storyboard, there is a cinematic approach. In this game of images, anything can happen. Enough is shown to allow one to imagine the situation, yet there is also ample off-screen space for the viewer to create their own narrative. Guess who the lovers are — and who the haters are.

L’amour et la violence — In 2008, Sébastien Tellier released the album Sexuality, and one of its tracks echoes this idea: L’amour et la violence. The association of these two opposing notions — love and violence — expresses a dual feeling well known within the gay community. The best and the worst memories shape the romantic journey; they are inseparable. A red glow that illuminates the path of love.

Exhibition curated by Anouchka Van Driel & Vito Plantamura.