The exhibition is developed around Megachromia, a new term and a new concept recently developed by the French artist Montebello. Megachromia is an abstract photographic interpretation of a small-scale, figurative 'action' painting. It is the result of a specific process, presented in the form of transparent lightboxes.

Montebello starts by painting, in oils, a small-scale work on panel (16x22cm) depicting a moving subject, such as waves on water, an animated face or a running horse, and capturing the energy of the moment. Montebello then selects a detail of this painting, and makes an enlarged and high-definition photo of it. The result is an abstract image, where the paint itself becomes the subject.

Through the lightboxes of Megachromia, Montebello deals with several issues:

1- the nature and relationship between painting and photography. Megachromia, by relying on painting to capture movement and on photography to render texture, reverses their traditionnal roles. This reversal strenghtens the final result by creating a new reality which is impossible to achieve by other means.

2- the nature and origin of abstraction. By showing the intimate relationship between the two, Megachromia challenges the idea that abstraction and figuration are the result of different processes.

3- the question of illumination. With Megachromia, has not the dream of the painter come true? Lightbox Megrachromia dematerializes painted color and matter, while enhancing the brushwork. Isn't Megachromia therefore the painter's ultimate way of capturing light?

4- where is the artist's work? Is it primarily in the small paintings? In the Megachromia? Or, as curator Adrien Goetz suggests, somewhere in the dialogue between the two?

The two-part installation conceived for Casino Venier by Montebello invites the viewer to reflect on these issues.