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Plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy, a kayaker against a background of carved chevrons, blue and green glass lozenges

Louis Barthélemy: HEROES HAVE ROOTS BEYOND BORDERS

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Kayak Cascade, plaster fresco inlaid with coloured glass, 107 × 72 cmScroll ↓
The exhibition

HEROES HAVE ROOTS BEYOND BORDERS

Through HEROES HAVE ROOTS BEYOND BORDERS, Louis Barthélemy explores the way cultures build their heroic figures while reviving the craft skills that pass them on. The exhibition brings together a series of works devoted to representations of the male body, seen as a territory where memory, identity, desire, power and commitment intersect. Athletes, wrestlers, champions and figures of resistance become the vehicles of narratives that question the many forms of heroism.

From Senegalese wrestlers to Olympic champions, HEROES HAVE ROOTS BEYOND BORDERS gathers figures who escape dominant narratives and propose other forms of heroism. Here, the hero is not only the one who triumphs, but the one whose body embodies a culture, a history or a struggle. A tribute is also paid to the Egyptian LGBT activist Sarah Hegazi, through a work in the colours of the rainbow flag.

Exhibition view: a large hanging with pink and blue figures at the end of a row of columns, on a floor of sand
EnergyRawEarthen walls to evoke the ground of the arena.

Each work is born of a dialogue with craft traditions. The rattan busts are made in collaboration with a cooperative of women artisans in Morocco. The tapestries are produced in Cairo with master artisans of khayameya (a traditional Egyptian textile art of hand-sewn appliqué and patchwork), combining this technique with bazin fabrics from West Africa. The plaster bas-reliefs, made with a Moroccan master artisan, are punctuated with glass inlays that extend their sculptural and luminous dimension.

Two dancers in motion in the exhibition room, in front of the hung textile works
PerformanceArtisticDance, at a first presentation of the works.

Louis Barthélemy sees craft not as a mere medium but as a living language. By circulating skills between Morocco, Egypt and West Africa, he composes a gallery of heroic figures where living heritage, contemporary creation and collective narratives meet. Techniques travel, change context and take on new meanings, making craft a language able to carry memories, connect territories and bring forth new forms of heroism.

Read more about the artist
A Senegalese wrestler, oiled and covered in sand, at night before the crowd of an arena
InspirationWrestling, for realWhat the Khayamiya series stages
Available works

A selection of works

Textile appliqué by Louis Barthélemy, two wrestlers braced against each other, pink and yellow bodies on a ground of yellow and black pools, brick-red backgroundLouis BarthélemyKhayamiya 1 | PushHand-appliquéd and hand-embroidered bazin on cotton canvasCairo, 2020, 125 × 90 cm, unique pieceExplore the artwork→Textile appliqué by Louis Barthélemy, two wrestlers locked in a hold, blue, green and ochre figures in front of a seaside villageLouis BarthélemyKhayamiya 13 | Crossed holdHand-appliquéd and hand-embroidered bazin on cotton canvasCairo, 2021, 85 × 60 cm, unique pieceExplore the artwork→Textile appliqué by Louis Barthélemy, two wrestlers training in front of a seafront, in pastel tones of pink, yellow and greenLouis BarthélemyKhayamiya 10 | Training on Yoff beachHand-appliquéd and hand-embroidered bazin on cotton canvasCairo, 2021, 123 × 90 cm, unique pieceExplore the artwork→Textile appliqué by Louis Barthélemy, two brothers standing side by side on a beach, one in terracotta, the other in ecru, against a pale blue skyLouis BarthélemyKhayamiya 12 | Two brothersHand-appliquéd and hand-embroidered bazin on cotton canvasCairo, 2021, 85 × 60 cm, unique pieceExplore the artwork→Octagonal plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy, a tucked diver above a swimming pool lined with palm trees, blue and pink glass tesseraeLouis BarthélemyTuck Dive in Hockney BluesPlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glass145 × 96 cmExplore the artwork→Circular plaster panel by Louis Barthélemy, palm trees and a seafront, with glass inlaysLouis BarthélemySkyline HighjumpPlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glassDiameter 108 cmExplore the artwork→Plaster bas-relief by Louis Barthélemy, a diver and a crane, with coloured glass inlaysLouis BarthélemyDiving in Plaster wavesPlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glass107 × 74 cmExplore the artwork→Plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy, three riders jumping fences in front of a brick wall, coloured glass tilesLouis BarthélemyHorseplayPlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glass107 × 72 cmExplore the artwork→Plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy, a kayaker against a background of carved chevrons, blue and green glass lozengesLouis BarthélemyKayak CascadePlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glass107 × 72 cmExplore the artwork→Triangular plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy, a javelin thrower among foliage, blue and green glass shardsLouis BarthélemyJavelin JetstreamPlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glassHeight 78 cmExplore the artwork→Triangular plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy, a thrower between two palm trees beneath slanting lines, blue and green glass dropsLouis BarthélemyThrow and ThrivePlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glassHeight 83 cmExplore the artwork→Triangular plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy, a discus thrower between two stylised plants beneath a chequered frieze, glass inlays, set on an oak baseLouis BarthélemyWild Discus DiscoursePlaster fresco inlaid with coloured glassHeight 83 cmExplore the artwork→Woven rattan bust by Louis Barthélemy, honey-toned, raffia rosettes stitched across the torso and a tasselled cord, set on a tawny plinthLouis BarthélemyRattan Bodies | Light rattanRattan sculpture embroidered with raffia, year and dimensions upon requestExplore the artwork→Woven rattan bust by Louis Barthélemy, brick-toned, pale raffia rosettes stitched across the torso and a raffia tassel, set on an orange plinthLouis BarthélemyRattan Bodies | Brown rattanRattan sculpture embroidered with raffia, year and dimensions upon requestExplore the artwork→Woven rattan bust by Louis Barthélemy, dark brown, matching rosettes stitched across the torso and a tassel, set on a cognac leather-clad plinthLouis BarthélemyRattan Bodies | Dark brown rattanRattan sculpture embroidered with raffia, year and dimensions upon requestExplore the artwork→
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Programme

Upcoming exhibitions

Detail of Kayak Cascade, white plaster fresco by Louis Barthélemy: a kayaker paddles against a background of carved chevrons inlaid with coloured glass diamondsLouis BarthélemyHEROES HAVE ROOTS BEYOND BORDERSOpening exhibition26 November 2026 to 26 February 2027An exhibition exploring roots that travel beyond borders and evolve through encounters with other places. Textile, tapestry, plaster and Rattan Bodies: each work grows from a dialogue between the artist's drawings and the skills of craftspeople in Cairo, Morocco, Lebanon and Syria.Read more about Louis Barthélemy→
Photograph by Amélie Essessé: a woman in a patterned blue dress, standing on a wall of earthen bricks, smoothing a mud roof by hand, Koutougou island, NigerAmélie EssesséWOMEN BUILDERS | Hands of EarthDate to be confirmedA photographic exhibition about the women who build, pass on their knowledge and preserve earthen architecture. Transmission, architecture and living heritage.
Illustration: a jacket printed with portraits and maps of Africa, light trousers, socks, glasses and an umbrella, cut out like a paper doll's wardrobeLouis BarthélemyDEMOCRISIS | Power, image and memoryDate to be confirmedWhen clothing becomes a political archive: the exhibition examines representations of power, political legacies and the construction of collective memory. Fashion, image and narrative, a critical reading of the symbols that run through contemporary history.
Acquisition

Enquire about available works

The works in this exhibition are available for acquisition. The full checklist, with complete tombstones and prices, is shared upon request.

Request the checklist
Artist
Louis Barthélemy
Exhibition
HEROES HAVE ROOTS BEYOND BORDERS
Opening
26 November 2026
Price
Upon request

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