{"id":588832,"date":"2026-07-16T15:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/588832\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T15:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T15:04:14","slug":"cocoa-plantations-set-the-scene-for-divine-events-in-marc-padeus-memento-vivere-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/588832\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocoa Plantations Set the Scene for Divine Events in Marc Padeu’s ‘Memento Vivere’ \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it,\u201d wrote stoic philosopher Lucius Seneca. The phrase appeared in his essay \u201cDe Brevitate Vitae,<\/a>\u201d or, \u201cOn the Shortness of Life,\u201d which he scratched into papyrus around 49 A.D. Nearly 2,000 years on, his words reflect what is still a fundamental concern of life\u2014how to spend it wisely? For artist Marc Padeu<\/a>, the notion of humans\u2019 futile control of time forms the basis of a new suite of works in Memento Vivere, on view starting tomorrow at Larkin Durey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Padeu is known for merging scenes of daily life<\/a> with references to Renaissance religious paintings<\/a>. Among his newest works, \u201cLa promesse et l\u2019agneau\u201d (\u201cThe promise and the lamb\u201d) most distinctly continues this theme. In the center of the composition, a young child is seated on the lap of his mother, both of whom are flanked by adults who bring gifts and tidings in a nod to the artistic tradition of the Adoration of the Magi<\/a>, or the nativity.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cLa promesse et l\u2019agneau\u201d<\/p>\n

Latin for \u201cremember to live,\u201d the title nods to Seneca and serves as a reminder to grasp life by the reins before it\u2019s too late. It\u2019s also a complement to more common art historical theme of memento mori, or \u201cremember you will die,\u201d which serves a similar purpose of reminding the viewer that life is short and any wealth or grandeur one pursues means nothing when one is dead. Instead, it\u2019s important to focus on things that really matter: family, nature, craft, and so on.<\/p>\n

Padeu\u2019s narrative portray individuals and communities who work on the cocoa plantations in his native Cameroon. \u201cDays follow one another, harvests come round again and yet, despite this ebb and flow of life, his figures are caught outside of time, slipping between past, present and future,\u201d the gallery says. The artist infuses his compositions with a sense of divine birth and the mysterious sublime. \u201cEach painting is poised between promise and fate, light and shade; the figures existing simultaneously in a spiritual and secular realm, neither saints nor heroes but with a growing awareness that life is a fragile gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Memento Vivere opens on July 17 and continues through August 14 in London. See more on the artist\u2019s Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cSous le poids de la coupe\u201d (2026), acrylic on canvas, 66 7\/8 x 78 3\/4 inches<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cMemento vivere\u201d (2026), acrylic on canvas, 66 7\/8 x 78 3\/4 inches<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cMemento vivere\u201d <\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cLa prix de la promesse\u201d (2026), acrylic on canvas, 59 x 78 3\/4 inches<\/p>\n

\"an<\/a>\u201cLe chemin partag\u00e9\u201d (2026), acrylic on canvas, 70 x 47 1\/4 inches<\/p>\n

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