Life Force "Respire" Drawing

Born in 1974, Arghaël lives and works in his studio in Les Lilas, France.
 Fascinated by the human body since childhood, Arghaël first observed it through the prism of his camera before choosing a more personal path. Leaving film directing for another mode of expression, he studied under Gérard Venturelli at the Ateliers des Beaux-Arts, Paris, forging a new, intimate dialogue with drawing through an in-depth study of live models. Arghaël's powerful nudes are reminiscent of Bacon's distortion of the human figure and Rodin's sensual approach to the body. But Arghaël opts for a radical purity: his canvas is raw, primitive, as if naked itself. We witness the birth of a singular body of work that questions the notion of gender and the mystery of the flesh, physically confronting our unconscious. Over the past 10 years, through his exhibitions –Raw (2015), Skin(s) (2017), Métamorphe(s) (2019), Under My Skin (2023) - Arghaël has been exploring the mutation of bodies, challenging our imagination: as close as possible to flesh, bones and blood vessels, he traces his figures on the walls of his canvas which has become his primal cave. Metaphors for the creative process, Arghaël's creatures come to life before our eyes as the incisive precision of his line, his charcoal, pastels and oils devour the canvas, exploring or rather excavating the invisible for a raw exposure of the living. Arghaël has been represented by the Loo & Lou Gallery in Paris since 2015. He is currently preparing his next show for 2026 in Paris.