Dadu Phoenix

Born in 1970 in Normandy, David Duval better known by his artistic pseudonym Dadu Phoenix is a French author, painter and photographer. From his childhood, he was passionate about literature and art.

Self-taught, he began his artistic career very young. It was during the year 2009 that he produced his series of digital paintings representing women. These are for him sources of fantasy and mystery. Thanks to the use of a computer and a tablet, the artist produced no less than a hundred digital paintings. Its notoriety grew rapidly during this period as the technique used was, to say the least, unique.

“I oscillated between reality and feeling, from feeling to vision where mythology, fantasy and allegory of our world mingle, combine, to better stigmatize a part of the truth." (Dadu Phoenix).

His digital paintings are ultra-realistic and resemble photographs. The artist thus mixes reality and fiction by playing with the view of the spectator.

In 2014, he moved away from digital paintings in order to practice the art of photography. Photography is, for him, a way to condense all the intensity of the feelings of the people he takes in photos. He freezes all the sensations through his photographs.

The artist's photographs are not retouched because he refuses to distort reality and believes that it is necessary to see beyond appearances and the bodily envelope. Meticulous, he takes the time to compose his photographs. In addition, he works the composition of his photos with the model and takes very few shots.

The artist multiplies the supports and techniques over time, his desires and his encounters. These latter influences his art. The models who are very often feminine come from meetings with the artist.

Whatever the medium or the technique used, the light, the body and the gaze have all their importance within the works of the artist. They make it possible to intensify the feelings in the spectator who feels enveloped by a mysterious atmosphere and specific to the world of the artist. All of Dadu Phoenix's work is poetic and plays with the viewer. Fantasy, mythology, poetry blend together in his art.

Dadu Phoenix was officially considered an artist in 2016, and his art is forged through his encounters. The artist's work, supports and techniques evolve and illustrate his artistic know-how.

Dadu Phoenix is represented by the Artsper and Art and Style web galleries.