IN FOCUS is pleased to present “CO,” a solo exhibition by Tokyo-based French artist Valentin Dommanget, on view at our creative studio “CONTRAST” from May 16 to May 24..
Conceived from the emergence of new technologies—particularly artificial intelligence—and their impact on the artistic landscape, the exhibition traces back to the artist’s early interest, fourteen years ago during his master’s studies, in exploring the relationship between human-made and AI-generated works. This line of thinking is rooted in the anticipation of what is often referred to as the “singularity,” a moment when artificial intelligence could surpass human intelligence and transform society.
Today, that moment no longer feels distant. AI has become embedded in everyday life, reshaping how we create and how authorship is understood. The exhibition engages with these shifting conditions, focusing on the relationships and interactions that arise within them.
Rather than positioning physical and digital works as opposites, they are presented as parts of the same ecosystem. Matter and code, gesture and algorithm continuously interact, shaping new modes of expression. As suggested by the title CO, multiple forms of coexistence and collaboration between human and machine overlap and unfold throughout the exhibition.
In a world saturated with images and constant flow, the paintings function as moments of suspension. They create distance from the stream and offer a space to reflect on the scale of our own existence. Here, art acts as a point of anchorage—linking the present to longer temporalities, and resisting immediacy and passing trends through a sustained presence.
In an increasingly impersonal world, poetry becomes both more difficult and more necessary. The exhibition reflects on how we might move forward—together—with technology.
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Valentin Dommanget
Valentin Dommanget is a French artist currently based in Tokyo, where he has lived for the past five years. He was born in France and has previously lived in Paris, London, and Berlin.
After studying Fashion Design at ENSAAMA Paris, he graduated with a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins in London. Over the past decade, his work has been presented in more than 60 exhibitions worldwide, including museums, auctions, and art fairs, and he has been represented by galleries across Europe.
The works presented in this exhibition are part of a new series of paintings that exist simultaneously in physical and virtual forms. Extending his previous bodies of work—such as the Digital Studies Paintings, USB Sculptures, and Lenticular Prints—this series brings together elements of Western graffiti and suminagashi, the ancient Japanese marbling technique, alongside experimentation with 3D software and transhumanist ideas.
The resulting works generate vibrant, mineral-like patterns across both canvas and screen, functioning as a bridge between traditional culture and urban contemporary expression.
https://www.instagram.com/valentindommanget/
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Opening Reception: 5/15 (Fri) 18:00 – 21:00
Sound Performance by Charli Tapp: 5/15 (Fri) 19:30 – 20:00
Date: 5/May 16 (Sat) – 5/24 (Sun)
Tue – Fri: 14:00 – 19:00
Sat & Sun: 12:00 – 19:00
Closed: Monday
Entrance: Free
Venue: CONTRAST
Address: 1-49-4-1F & B1F Tomigaya, Shibuya, Tokyo
Access: Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line “Yoyogi Park” Exit 1, 1 min walk
Odakyu Odawara Line “Yoyogi Hachiman” Exit South, 2 min walk
HP : https://contrast-tokyo.com/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/contrast_tokyo/
X : https://x.com/contrast_tokyo
E-mail : [email protected]