Art Days presents “Tenir la Pose”, an exhibition by Chris Aerfeldt

As part of the Art Days Summer Edition 2026, Montpellier Sotheby’s International Realty is pleased to present “Tenir la Pose”, an exhibition by artist Chris Aerfeldt, curated by Matthieu Faurie.

Born in Australia and now based in Montpellier, Chris Aerfeldt presents a selection of paintings and watercolours created over the past three years. Through her portraits, the artist questions the codes of female representation, between apparent elegance, inner tension and the staging of the body.

At first glance, her works evoke the world of classical portraiture: carefully constructed poses, direct frontal compositions, refined fabrics and an almost aristocratic presence. Yet this first impression quickly becomes unsettled. Vivid colours — fluorescent pinks, acid greens and electric oranges — disrupt the pictorial surface and pull the figures into a more contemporary temporality.

In Chris Aerfeldt’s work, the female figure is never merely an object of contemplation. She appears as a complex presence, caught between social posture, self-representation, invisible expectations and quiet strength. Beneath the apparent softness of the compositions lies a form of silent resistance. A subtle tension runs through the works: between beauty and unease, control and instinct, vulnerability and power.

The recurring presence of animals, held close to the body, restrained or embraced, introduces a symbolic dimension. They become silent companions to these female figures, witnesses to an inner world where protection, strangeness and intimate struggle coexist.

“Tenir la Pose” also draws on the imaginary world of fairy tales and their ambiguities. The colours seduce, the settings intrigue, and the figures appear suspended in an almost unreal atmosphere. Yet behind this apparent softness, deeper realities emerge: solitude, social pressure, control of the body and the need to maintain one’s role.

With this exhibition, Chris Aerfeldt develops a painting of displacement. Elegance becomes unsettling, colour both reveals and conceals, and beauty carries an underlying intensity. The artist diverts the codes of idealised femininity to reveal complex presences: strong without being heroic, vulnerable without being weak, aware of their image yet refusing to disappear within it.

The opening evening will take place on Thursday, 18 June 2026 from 6:00 pm at Montpellier Sotheby’s International Realty.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 19 June to 28 August 2026, during the agency’s opening hours.

Montpellier Sotheby’s International Realty
3 rue Foch, 34000 Montpellier
+33 4 67 57 34 10
galerie@montpellier-sothebysrealty.com