Damien Poulain is an artist working in design, architecture and the built and natural environments. His practice transmutes influences from Shintoist, primitive and heraldic symbology, as well as contemporary material and digital culture, to propose a universal visual language. Through an evolving range of formats including textiles, painting, sculpture, and ephemeral architectural volumes, he devises glyphic systems of geometry and colour. These codes raise questions about the ways in which humans relate to each other, to their surroundings, and to the mystery of existence.

Poulain’s work is nomadic and contextual in nature and ranges from monumental interventions to small-scale paintings, which he produces in ongoing series linked to place and time. In addition to public spaces, which are Poulain’s preferred canvas, his work has been displayed in solo exhibitions in London’s Kemistry Gallery and KK Outlet; in Tokyo at Calm and Punk Gallery and Claska; and in group exhibitions at the Museum of Graphic Design in Breda, Holland, and the 21_21 Museum in Tokyo.

Loca People (What the F**k). 6 sewn fabric banners. 93 x 59 cm. each 2016.

Loca People (What the Fuck!) is a techno song by the Spanish DJ Sak Noël. This song is a hymn to celebration, to hedonism, to freedom without responsibility. In a certain sense, some of the elements that have characterized certain activity of the island for decades. The artist’s intention is to create a dialogue between two opposing cultures and traditions in a limited and reduced space like that of Ibiza. A world in danger of extinction that refers to textile manufacturing, and another, such as electronic music, dictated by the powerful entertainment industry, Poulain uses the banners to play with their main relevance, with their main utility, the strength of the sign and the symbol, to create the banners of the true kingdom of electronic music: Ibiza.