Inspired by his childhood upbringing, the Mauritian/French-born visual artist Joël Bigaignon brings us to a deep blue horizon in his solo exhibition Carte Postale. The exhibition title refers to the ‘picture perfect-postcards’ being sent home from beautiful holiday destinations.

Bigaignon transforms his artwork into enormous postcards of starry nights and elements of local history. The exhibition showcases a new colour palette from Bigaignon and motifs in his artworks resulting in enchanting collages of stories, shapes, and beings.

The colour blue enchants the gaze and brings you into a world of oceanic spirituality, distorted bodies, and dark palm tree silhouettes. A threshold between the heavens and the underworld of the deep sea opens up a present experience of Bigaignon’s memories. Memories of being entirely surrounded by water and sky. Bigaignon remembers as a child looking up at the stars and getting a sense of magical presence.

Attaching wounded humans and shoreline, the artist wishes to ‘reference the Western societies lack of reflection upon the local history in exotic holiday destinations.’ At the same time as an artist, Bigaignon understands how the westernized art history dominates and ‘therefore you are more willing to absorb it’. With his artwork, Bigaignon brings a landscape of mesmerizing stories for us to embark on with an openness to abstract figurines and mythological atmospheres.

Carte Postale also illuminates the challenges faced by present-day refugees as they traverse the oceans. Bigaignon utilizes the blue to visualize how this journey for many ends in the deep blue waters, serving as a portal leading to the deep blue heavens.