Small is Bluetiful: Into the Mind of Boris Toucas
Fragments of eternity. Small in size, yet their impact on our hearts and souls is profound. Boris Toucas’ artworks at the CBD Gallery are as insidious as they are captivating.
The drawing that moved me the most is also the smallest of them all: The Cauldron. This piece radiates light, energy, and poetry - a nocturnal vision of Paris in its truest essence. While I may not fully grasp it all, I know it touched me deeply. Maybe it’s the blue.
Three other favourites caught my eye. A Working Day in Sydney, Bondi Beach - the first drawing Boris ever made (and the first sold in this exhibition) - weave serendipity into his story, one that transitions from diplomat to rising artist. It’s a tale of talent, chance, and the narratives that shape our lives. I was also captivated by the Mona Lisa in the front window, called You’re Looking for Something - a warm invitation into Boris’ world, reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code. It’s as if Toucas has the ability to decipher secret codes like Turing during World War II while inviting spectators to take an active role in interpreting his art. Great art, like great books, asks the viewer to complete the story with their imagination. This is exactly what I spent about an hour doing in the gallery!
Finally, another piece particularly resonated with me - a drawing called Olivier, His Dog… and Tasmania. At first, the gallerist thought it might refer to me when I introduced myself. It didn’t. But as I stood there, studying the work for a good few minutes, I felt it could be me. In a moment of surrender, I found myself transported to Tasmania, sitting in a car, patting the dog beside me. It was me, yet not me - a rebirth through art.
What else?
The minimalist yet towering CBD Gallery - with its three floors and basement - offers a perfect home for these delicate works. Like the artworks, it is small yet big, and like great writing, where form and content become one, Fragments of Eternity feels perfectly at home within the gallery’s pristine white walls. The only thing that is not blue (like the drawings) or white (like the walls and frames) are the red dots next to so many drawings - an interesting allegory to the corrections of a teacher on a student’s paper, penned with the iconic blue ‘BIC,’ France’s most famous ballpoint. Except that in Boris’ world, there are absolutely no corrections made. His artworks are all first drafts, reminiscent of another Oliver - Oliver Sacks - who was renowned for penning books in a single attempt, with perfection emerging in the very first flow. Similarly, Boris creates his works in a state of flow, where precision and creativity merge effortlessly. Without this “flow,” these impeccable pieces - reflections of Boris’ inner world brought to life - simply would not exist.
My most sincere thank-you to Xiaoxiao Zhang, the passionate director of this beautiful artistic haven, and to Boris Toucas for this unique opportunity to see art in a fresh light - and, in turn, rediscover ourselves through the refined blue strokes etched into our minds and hearts.
The exhibition runs until 21 December 2024 at 72 Erskine Street. I highly recommend it to everyone, whether you’re an art connoisseur or simply a lover of beauty.
Olivier Vojetta
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