Rémy Xavier, also known as Mr LiGht, is a French artist who grew up in the world of graffiti and underground art. For some time now, his works—filled with humor and poetry—have focused on the interaction between humans and nature. He arrived at this theme after spending many years in various French cities and in Brussels, where he collaborated with art galleries and institutions. He now lives in his native village in southern France, works for a museum, and continues to organize exhibitions in art spaces.

The theme of the exhibition at the Ahoj Nazdar Čau gallery is the mystery of nature and the question of why it continues to fascinate artists in a society where nature takes a back seat to important political debates.

"The series Cypress Story came about gradually. Every day I walked past this cypress tree, and something inside me told me to paint it. So that’s what I did. Some time later, during my exhibition, a man from my village—who knows my family and the area well—told me that he recognized this cypress and was certain that one of my ancestors had planted it more than two hundred years ago. I share the same first name as that ancestor... Life is a cycle, and the world revolves around it. 

The other paintings capture views from where I live—my territory, my surroundings. It is my nature, and every day it inspires my thoughts and my work; that is exactly what I missed in big cities.

Depicting nature in display cases shows how humans want to organize and confine it, while at the same time, nature is disappearing due to human needs. I build a bridge between nature and graffiti, because neither is fully understood for what it truly is: a symbol of freedom and a realm of love. It is an honor to organize this exhibition right here at the Ahoj Nazdar Čau Gallery and to show people from the Czech Republic that we are united by the same political issues concerning memory, nature, and humanity. I’m also very happy to have reunited with Petra, the gallery’s curator and my longtime friend."