Public presents at twilight / at dawn

Public Gallery presents at twilight / at dawn, a group exhibition of new paintings by Fabien Adèle, Christian Quin Newell, James Owens and Lingrou Xie, on view until 11 April. Figures, plants and architectural forms appear across the works as quiet, mysterious presences. The exhibition’s title evokes a moment of transition, a time when things are not yet fully clear or have already begun to fade.

Adèle’s paintings depict figures gathering in parks and wooded spaces, framed by tree-lined paths and cast-iron fences. Light moves across the scenes, softening their clarity, while the figures themselves appear strangely still, almost statue-like. In Figures dans le parc III (2026), their gazes drift beyond the picture plane, leaving the narrative open and unresolved.

Owens’ canvases are dense with foliage and shadow, treating the forest as a psychological landscape. In The Nightmare (After Henry Fuseli) (2026), a domestic interior emerges under moonlight, where pale figures appear in quiet conversation. The reference to Henry Fuseli connects the work to a tradition of painting where dreams and waking life overlap.

Xie layers imagery drawn from film stills and archival photographs, creating soft compositions of indigo and grey. In The key (2026), overlapping images, a house, cocktail glasses and a woman applying lipstick, unfold simultaneously, reflecting what the artist calls “parallel time.”

Newell’s paintings reduce the image to simple architectural elements. Doorways and horizons appear against deep blue surfaces painted on marble-dust grounds, creating works that feel calm yet quietly expectant.

Together, the paintings explore moments of uncertainty, where perception shifts and the world appears suspended between presence and disappearance.

Images: Christian Quin Newell, The Double, and Untitled, 2026