Eclectic: works by Sainte-Lucien artist Llewellyn Xavier take over the Fondation Clément. The artist unveils a deeply personal exhibition, somewhere between abstraction, impasto and poetic fragments.
In this exhibition, Llewellyn Xavier continues her research into color, light and material, without ever abandoning the freedom of gesture. Two works directly evoke the Caribbean – Chronicles of St. Lucia and Cold Fire – but the ensemble goes far beyond geographical boundaries, in an open creative space.
Meet a major figure on the contemporary Caribbean scene, whose work combines color, perception, spirituality and reflection on creation.
A free practice, between intuition, matter and perception
From the outset, Llewellyn Xavier presents himself as a multimedia artist – not in the technological sense of the word, but because he mobilizes different media and techniques. He explains: “I believe I am, for all intents and purposes, a multimedia artist.” A simple statement that says a lot about his approach: open, unpartitioned and evolving.
Llewellyn Xavier distinguishes several groups in his work. Two pieces are directly mentioned: The Chronicles of St. Lucia and Cold Fire, influenced by Martinique. Alongside these, he presents large canvases worked in impasto – where the material is laid down in thick layers – and smaller, fragmented ones, with, in his words, “a touch of fantasy”.
Beyond the titles, it’s the relationship to image and perception that structures his work. Some works contain many figurative elements, but these are not immediately apparent. “If you study them, depending on the distance, depending on the light, depending on the reflections, you see different forms in the work.” This attention to visual experience, to the eye in motion, gives his paintings an almost meditative dimension.
Color, material and commitment without injunction
When asked about color, Llewellyn Xavier admits that the colors he uses are often very pure – “not to brag,” he says with humility. He doesn’t try to impress, nor to demonstrate. His work is rooted in a personal relationship with material and gesture.
Llewellyn Xavier’s work is not explicitly militant, but is informed by experiences, places and encounters. He refers in particular to his friendship with Laurent Valère, an artist from Martinique, whom he describes simply as “a very good artist”. This sober but sincere reference says a great deal about his relationship with the Caribbean artistic community: one of exchange and mutual respect, without one-upmanship.
As for transmission, his position is clear. “If a young person comes to me and asks: ‘Should I become an artist?’, I say no. But if someone says: ‘I want to be an artist, that’s what I want to do’, then I encourage them 100%. It’s not a matter of convincing, but of recognizing an inner necessity, an affirmed will. Art, he believes, is not something to be imposed: it’s something to be experienced.
An exhibition to discover, without instructions
With this exhibition at the Fondation Clément, Llewellyn Xavier does not propose a linear narrative or a demonstration of style. He offers a body of work that can be apprehended in multiple ways. Each invites us to pause and take a fresh look. He doesn’t offer a single key to reading the work – rather, he invites us to feel, to look differently, to approach, to move away, to let the light reveal what escapes the eye at first glance.
An exhibition to discover at the Fondation Clément
This exhibition at the Fondation Clément presents a selection of recent works by Llewellyn Xavier, reflecting the richness of her pictorial practice and her reflections on perception, material and the artistic gesture.
📍 Exhibition : Eclectic
📅 24.04.2025 to 15.06.2025
📌 Fondation Clément, Le François – Martinique
One Response
I am interested in The sailing Caribbean 8×6 feet oil canvas
It is gorgeous and my husband and I love it.
May I have information?
Can it be shipped to USA?