ADOR is a French graffiti artist living and working in Nantes, in the West of France. He has created his own universe filled with imaginary characters inspired by fairy tales, circus spectacles, and current events. ADOR's goal is to portray the point where the silly meets the serious.
ADOR ingeniously combines contemporary art and social critique through his whimsical, larger-than-life murals. His imaginative blend of figurative art and caricature captivates onlookers, inviting them to decode the narrative art embedded within. This master of satirical art infuses humor and fantasy creatures into the very fabric of his pieces, challenging our perception of reality. His striking approach to political art remains an influential force in French art, continuing to resonate with a global audience. ADOR's unique style stands as a testament to his unbounded imagination and his enduring impact on the world of humorous art.
ADOR is constantly looking to his surroundings, interested to see what he can learn next. The things that he learns become the inspiration for his work – current affairs, cultural phenomena and language. For him, art and creativity are ways in which one can take refuge from the madness of reality and find meaning. ADOR is able to address complex political or philosophical issues through his work, avoiding confrontation and making them easier to digest for the viewer. Not impeded by language barriers, his wish is that his work can be understandable and relatable for people from all walks of life, a sort of universal imagery.
"The universe I’ve been building for many years is growing up with all that characters living together," ADOR says. "For this new exhibit at Thinkspace Projects, Familiar Yet Foreign, I think of each image like a lost comic book created in my studio. It’s about a big story where both animals and humans are treated in the same way, but each time the aim is to tell a story where the spectator is invited to imagine by his own, how my protagonists must feel in each situation. Bringing together a unique mix of inspirations from various fairy tales, comics book, caricature art, and the works of other great painters, I try to use a childish way to talk to all of us - who like me - would have been a kid who never wants to grows up. The works talk about actuality, responsibility and the dream state we all often escape to. I build my characters as I would approach building a new language."
ADOR completed two murals in LA recently as part of the exhibition with Thinkspace, as seen in the gallery above.
