Eric leroux
Grenoble, France
Originally born in France, Eric Leroux grew up in Côte d'Ivoire, Africa, next door to a traditional sculptor. His experience there made him feel at ease with different art techniques: "If I had grown up visiting the Louvre, I would have felt more intimidated by art", he says.
It was while studying the Chinese language that he first learned to use a calligraphy brush and became fascinated by the fact that, in Asia, a paintbrush can be used for both writing and painting. Eric started to develop confidence as a painter in Vietnam, where he was working as a French teacher: "it was there that local artists recognized my work and encouraged me to pursue my art".
During his stay in Hanoi, Eric formed a special relationship with Salon Natasha, Vietnam’s first private contemporary art space established by the late artist Vũ Dân Tân and his wife Natalia Kraevskaia. In contrast with art in government-run spaces and commercial exhibitions, the work shown at Salon Natasha was radically different. Topics included classical themes, but also subjects that were taboo in an official setting. These could be social critiques, discussions of sexuality, personal religious expression, or anything else controversial.
Eric conceptualised and helped Salon Natasha organise many of these exhibitions, including his own solo shows in '94 and '96. As a knowledgeable, creative, and sociable person, he had a significant influence on artists in Hanoi who in the early 1990s still had limited access to information on contemporary art outside Vietnam. He also introduced many artists to collaborative approaches to art and shared his insights for organising exhibitions and art performances.
Eric now resides in Grenoble in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France where he enjoys the mountains, his friends, and trying to catch images of harmony by drawing every day.
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