Art Opening: Echoes by Tolskia

Join us for the opening of Echoes, our newest exhibition featuring the work of French visual artist Tolskia.

The artist will speak about his process and inspiration before being joined in conversation by Chicago-based French artist and graphic designer Floriane Roussel. Guests will then have the opportunity to discover the exhibition over a complimentary glass of French wine.

Doors at 6:00 pm. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Program at 6:30. Non-alcoholic options will be available.

About the Exhibition

Echoes brings together 16 works rooted in personal memory and inspiration, blending organic forms, figures, architecture, and fragments of experience. Created intuitively and shaped through an open-ended process, the works layer realities that are felt, perceived, and reimagined, drawing from different cultures and periods. Traces of Akira Kurosawa, David Lynch, and sacred places from around the world can sometimes be felt within them.

Staying true to a striking black-and-white contrast, Tolskia continuously experiments with new techniques and supports. His series of canvas panels vary in size, while his foam board works are produced in standard, A3, A4, and Raisin formats.

Strictly monochromatic, his work explores harmony through the assembly of diverse elements—ancient civilizations, contemporary objects, and nature. By bringing these seemingly disparate forms together, he moves from chaos to order, seeking to reveal a sense of unity within diversity.

About the Artist

Born in 2000 in Toulouse, the “Pink City,” Arnold Berry is an architect and visual artist. For several years, he has been developing his artistic practice under the name Tolskia, driven by a deep connection to drawing and a constant pursuit of creative freedom. His relationship with drawing began in childhood through drawing classes and visual arts workshops at Les Abattoirs (FRAC Occitanie), where his passion for exploration and experimentation first took shape.

After earning a high school diploma with a scientific focus, he further developed his practice during a year at Prép’art Toulouse, where he created a distinctive graphic universe under the pseudonym, LASIKOT: imaginary characters, clothing, and buildings inspired by both modernist and organic aesthetics, drawn in black ink on a variety of papers.

During his architecture studies at ESA Paris, he discovered white ink and black foam board, which have since become his media of choice. He then chose the anagram Tolskia, which has no particular meaning, to preserve the spirit of LASIKOT while giving it a more poetic sound — one that feels closer to him and to this body of work.

This year, Tolskia was also selected by 111 des Arts de Toulouse to take part in a collective charity exhibition and sale taking place in November, where he will present around twenty previously unpublished works.

About the Moderator

Floriane Roussel is a Chicago-based French painter, illustrator, and graphic designer. From big international campaigns to small French children’s books, Floraine adapts her unique style to all kinds of projects.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Ave. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark St and the 66 on Chicago Ave. A Divvy station is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$10 for 12 hours at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.