David Douard

Renowned for his sculptural compositions and mixed-media installations, David Douard employs found materials to craft his artworks. These creations are inspired by fragmented anonymous writings and concepts sourced from the online realm.

Biography of David Douard

David Douard was born in 1983 in Perpignan, France. As a teenager, he was involved in the graffiti scene, and the local streets served as an initial inspiration for his artistic journey. Today, the streets surrounding his studio in Aubervilliers, near Paris, provide a constant stream of discarded materials that he incorporates into his sculptures.

Having completed his studies at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2011, he currently imparts knowledge as a teacher at the École nationale supérieure d'arts de Paris Cergy.

David Douard has been featured in various biennials including the Biennale de Lyon (2013), Taipei Biennial (2014), and Gwangju Biennale (2018).

He served as a resident fellow at the French Academy in Rome, Villa Medici, during 2017-2018. In 2017, he was honored with the Fondazione Ettore Fico Prize at the Artissima Fair in Turin.

Douard's recent solo exhibitions include "David Douard: serious Slugs' StrategY" at Magician Space in Beijing (2023), "David Douard: ACHéTE LE NACRé à LEURS âMES" at Konrad Fischer Galerie in Berlin (2023), "Old Veins, New Tunnels" at Heidi Gallery in Berlin (2023). Additionally, he has participated in group shows, including "They" at Consortium de Dijon in Dijon (2023), "Regards du Louvre" at Auditorium Louvre in Paris (2023), "*standstill" at RODEO Gallery in London (2022), "ChildrenPower" at FRAC Le plateau in Paris (2021), among others. 

David Douard's Art Style

Departing from the clean lines and minimalist aesthetics of American Minimalism, David Douard's installations embody a rugged patchwork of disparate elements. His sculptures are crafted from discarded materials—ranging from metal, fabric, and wood to airbags and sofas—that are reconfigured, manipulated, and amalgamated into intricate compositions. At times, these works incorporate electrical or mechanical components, further adding to their complexity.

Douard's practice extends beyond sculpture, as he transforms exhibition spaces by integrating sound works, films, and written texts. This fusion creates hybridized worlds, offering viewers multi-sensory experiences that intertwine virtual, mechanical, visual, and tactile elements. By dismantling the traditional boundaries between artist and artwork, Douard encourages viewers to immerse themselves in these fantastical realms, sometimes even incorporating furniture for visitors to interact with.

At the core of his artistic practice lies language. He utilizes texts and poems sourced from the Internet, manipulating and transforming them to form a vital narrative that permeates his sculptures. By incorporating language as a fundamental element, Douard reshapes space into a hybrid and collective realm, infusing it with anonymous, chaotic, deviant, and sometimes frustrating poetry.