Pierre Mortel Exhibition at In Arte Veritas Gallery

First Painting Exhibition in Toulouse

After making a strong impression in December 2024 during Le Musée imaginaire d’Oli at the Musée des Abattoirs – Frac Occitanie Toulouse, where his character Jean Publik guided visitors through a delightfully offbeat reading of the exhibition, artist Pierre Mortel is now unveiling a new chapter in his work.

An illustrator and comic book author, he is presenting his very first series of paintings on canvas at In Arte Veritas Gallery, in the heart of downtown Toulouse (10 rue de la Trinité).

His world, blending biting humor, graphic minimalism, and sharp storytelling, features singular characters who reflect the contradictions of modern life with both irony and tenderness. His favorite themes—solitude, boredom, and the search for meaning—take on new strength in a distinctive visual style: clean lines, a reduced palette in black and white or pastel tones, and striking visual impact.

In 2025, his collaboration with In Arte Veritas marks a decisive turning point: the exploration of painting as a medium through canvas work and the release of numbered art prints. Jean Publik, a figure embodying the individual dissolved within the crowd, takes on an unprecedented dimension here. At once anonymous and universal, he acts as a mirror of the viewer in their relationship to art—hovering between gentle irony and contemporary gravity. Jean Publik questions his own understanding of contemporary art and the legitimacy of his gaze, echoing the identity of In Arte Veritas—the truth is in art—which has always aimed to present high-quality contemporary art that remains immediately accessible, open to multiple interpretations yet consistently rich in emotion.

This exhibition awaits you at In Arte Veritas Gallery, from September 11 to October 11, 2025