Frédéric Tiffet
Faux-fuyant

From January 9 to February 22, 2025

Galerie Nicolas Robert is pleased to present Faux-fuyant, Frédéric Tiffet's first solo exhibition in Montreal. This series of paintings is characterized by intricate structures where lines and colors are in constant flux. Although the compositions suggest stability at first glance, their dynamic interplay between rippling surfaces and clashing forms reveals an inherent tension. Broad swathes of color obscure hidden details, while undulating movements disrupt any sense of fixity. Despite the rectangular frame, the paintings evoke a boundless expanse. The viewer is left uncertain about what they are encountering or how to orient themselves, but as their gaze follows the rivers of color that flow across the canvas, a sense of chaos begins to take hold.

Tiffet intentionally dissolves the clarity of emerging forms, blending and layering paint to ensure no single element dominates. Embryonic figures coexist, fossilized beneath overlapping strata of pigment. This approach imbues the pictorial space with energy, spreading activity across the entire surface and inviting the viewer’s gaze to wander freely, discovering personal interpretations along the way. Faux-fuyant reflects the artist’s retreat from definitive representation—a deliberate abstraction of sketches and figures to preserve the painting’s openness. By embracing ambiguity, Tiffet safeguards the medium’s intrinsic mystery, leaving space for infinite meanings to emerge.

Frédéric Tiffet lives and works in Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal. He holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing with a minor in Philosophy from Concordia University. His work is part of private collections and was recently featured in a solo exhibition, Everything is Never Finished (2023), at KIPNZ Gallery in New York.