Iris Terdjiman paints contemporary frescoes—proof that frescoes can still be made today. Executed on fabric so they can cling to the wall like skin, these monumental works gather to form a chapel without altar or deity. Within them, horror meets transcendence: mass graves confront angels, and lovers locked in an embrace pay no mind to the skull—a memento mori—beside them. Amid the rawness of mutilated flesh reminiscent of Bacon and the searing emotion of Munch, religious scenes nonetheless take shape.
Their vast scale allows multiple planes and episodes to coexist. Fragments from different worlds interlace, but no set direction guides the gaze, and no single, clear narrative can be drawn from these overlapping visions. Expressionist brushwork turns figures into motifs; drips dissolve boundaries so one realm seeps into another; a skeleton whirls into a vortex. This is not storytelling but transformation—where gravity yields to grace.
If a meaning emerges from this silent chorus of souls, it remains enigmatic. Symbols from diverse religious and esoteric traditions, Hebrew inscriptions, rock song titles, formulas, and icon-like fragments form a trail of clues that resists absurdity and hints at a higher order—even if its message defies decoding.
Born in 1984 in Montpellier, France, Iris Terdjiman lives and works in Brussels. After studying art philosophy and exploring careers as a visual artist, video creator, and teacher, she turned her full attention to painting in 2015. Her expansive oil-on-canvas works have been exhibited in cities such as Brussels, Uzès, Rome, and Hall in Tirol, and she often engages in collaborative projects with musicians and writers.
Selected Solo Exhibitions include:
By The Book, Galerie KBK, Brussels (Belgium), 2024; Rizoma Bazar, Le Jardin Médiéval, Uzès (France), 2024; Tzu Gezunt, Galerie MOTO, Hall-in-Tirol (Austria), 2024; Ghost Track, Galerie KBK, Brussels (Belgium), 2023; Chaos Canzone, Studio Julie-Rebecca Poulain, Rome (Italy), 2022; Hapax Nostalghia c/o ICTUS, Ictus Invites No. 2, Wild Gallery, Brussels (Belgium), 2021; Tremo di Gioia, Le Lac, Brussels (Belgium), 2019; GO! Parcours Jeunes Artistes, Salle Saint-Georges, Mons (Belgium), 2019; Cenotaph, a chapel for Kutra beGulma, Festival Arcane #1 Sub Rosa, BRASS, Brussels (Belgium), 2019; Das Gewirr 2011 > 2015, Four large cartographies on tissue paper presented with four pieces by composer Christophe Guiraud, Espace Senghor, Brussels (Belgium), 2019; Atelier Ouvert, Kleber, Pantin (France), 2017; Aphairesis – Works on Paper, Le Baloard, Montpellier (France), 2007.
By The Book, Galerie KBK, Brussels (Belgium), 2024; Rizoma Bazar, Le Jardin Médiéval, Uzès (France), 2024; Tzu Gezunt, Galerie MOTO, Hall-in-Tirol (Austria), 2024; Ghost Track, Galerie KBK, Brussels (Belgium), 2023; Chaos Canzone, Studio Julie-Rebecca Poulain, Rome (Italy), 2022; Hapax Nostalghia c/o ICTUS, Ictus Invites No. 2, Wild Gallery, Brussels (Belgium), 2021; Tremo di Gioia, Le Lac, Brussels (Belgium), 2019; GO! Parcours Jeunes Artistes, Salle Saint-Georges, Mons (Belgium), 2019; Cenotaph, a chapel for Kutra beGulma, Festival Arcane #1 Sub Rosa, BRASS, Brussels (Belgium), 2019; Das Gewirr 2011 > 2015, Four large cartographies on tissue paper presented with four pieces by composer Christophe Guiraud, Espace Senghor, Brussels (Belgium), 2019; Atelier Ouvert, Kleber, Pantin (France), 2017; Aphairesis – Works on Paper, Le Baloard, Montpellier (France), 2007.
Selected Group Exhibitions include:
À la Racine, Stéphane Blanquet and guests, La Manufacture, Aix-en-Provence (France), 2022; Winter Show, Galerie Art Sablon, Brussels (Belgium), 2021.
À la Racine, Stéphane Blanquet and guests, La Manufacture, Aix-en-Provence (France), 2022; Winter Show, Galerie Art Sablon, Brussels (Belgium), 2021.