Oxymore, 2026

Fabrice Mangin  

Two faces, two truths, two mirrors. "Oxymore" is a manifest work on human duality — the one that traverses us all, between shadow and light, flesh and metal, emotion and reason. On an 80 × 80 cm canvas, the artist stages a visual and philosophical tension: two masks, one silver, the other gold, face each other in a fragile balance, separated by a vibrant red diagonal, a symbol of connection, conflict, and passage between worlds.

Realized from canvas, textured cardboard, acrylic paint, and metallic sculptural masks, this work asserts itself through its physical presence as much as its symbolic charge.
The black and silver part, dense and obscure, evokes reason, memory, the unsaid — an industrial, almost mechanical zone, where metal reflects the viewer and includes them in the work.
The white and gold part, more organic, carries warmth, breath, and vital energy — a material traversed by red traces and luminous flashes.
Between these two poles, the red diagonal acts as a scar or an incandescent border, a place of meeting and tension.

The masks — one chrome, the other gold, smooth and angular — embody the duality of modern identities: human and artificial, sensitive and rational, real and virtual. Placed in opposition, they translate the very paradox of the title "Oxymore" — this coexistence of opposites that defines the complexity of the world and of oneself.

Technically, the artist mixes sculptural volume with pictorial relief: the impressions of the cardboard structure the surface, recalling urban architecture or the skin of an abstract landscape. The projections and textures of acrylic add a tactile depth, almost scenographic. "Oxymore" thus transcends the boundary between painting and wall installation, between painting and sculpture.

A piece of strong conceptual dimension, "Oxymore" questions perception and literally reflects the one who contemplates it. The viewer finds themselves face to their double — the one they show, the one they hide.

Structural mixed-media work: an unprecedented association of acrylic painting, cardboard, sculptural relief, and metallic masks.
Imposing format (80 × 80 cm): perfect balance between visual force and adaptability to any contemporary space.
Technical performance: combination of textures, materials, and volumes creating a strong interaction with light and space.
Marked symbolic dimension: reflection on human duality, identity, and the tension between visible and hidden.
Major aesthetic impact: museum presence, ideal for a modern interior, an exhibition space, or a private collection.
Signature approach: continuity of an artistic research around material, verticality, and the dialogue between shadow and brilliance.