Tompouce meets Madeleine
Paris (FR)
25 Sep - 9 Oct 2025
The Balcony x Non-Étoile
Group show organised by The Balcony (The Hague, NL) as part of their “extra_muros exhibiton exchange”, this year collaborating with Non-Étoile, a large Paris-based artist collective and project space. From September 25th to October 9th, The Balcony brought “Tompouce meets Madeleine” to Paris.
The exhibition title references traditional Dutch and French desserts, as well as the folklore characters associated with them — Tom Pouce (Tom Thumb), an adventurous child no bigger than his father’s thumb, and Madeleine, a figure whose identity as a baker has been claimed by various historical narratives.
The exhibition title references traditional Dutch and French desserts, as well as the folklore characters associated with them — Tom Pouce (Tom Thumb), an adventurous child no bigger than his father’s thumb, and Madeleine, a figure whose identity as a baker has been claimed by various historical narratives.
Participating artists:
Lucy Andrews, Arthur Cordier, Lena Longefay,
Silke Riis, Valentino Russo, Ariane Toussaint,
and Marnix van Uum
“The artists in this exhibition turn to storytelling and myth-making as processes tightly woven with what we make with our hands: hands that dream of pigments, puzzles, and syrup — echoing the sensory richness of childhood. The fantastical here appears as the other side of the handmade: that which softens under the warmth of a molding palm and unfurls, full of texture.”
Lucy Andrews, Arthur Cordier, Lena Longefay,
Silke Riis, Valentino Russo, Ariane Toussaint,
and Marnix van Uum
“The artists in this exhibition turn to storytelling and myth-making as processes tightly woven with what we make with our hands: hands that dream of pigments, puzzles, and syrup — echoing the sensory richness of childhood. The fantastical here appears as the other side of the handmade: that which softens under the warmth of a molding palm and unfurls, full of texture.”
Sculptures included in the show
Soft Shell
2025120 x 30 x 15 cm
Recycled cotton, natural latex, acrylic paint, ink, recycled bubble wrap
Soft Shrub I
202535 x 35 x 20 cm
Recycled cotton, natural latex, acrylic paint, ink, recycled bubble wrap
Soft Shrub II
2025100 x 60 x 55 cm
Recycled cotton, natural latex, acrylic paint, ink, recycled bubble wrap
Photos by Ariane Toussaint