Since 2018, Antoine Roegiers has been deeply immersed in his ongoing visual narrative project, a series of paintings that collectively tell a single, evolving story. This narrative unfolds in a fluid, non-linear manner, devoid of a defined conclusion, blending humor, solemnity, and poetry to provoke reflection on the contemporary world while inviting us to laugh at our own absurdities. His inaugural exhibition at Galerie Templon in Brussels in 2023 left the story at a pivotal moment, as nature reclaimed its domain following a massive fire.

In this new chapter, titled The Great Parade, Roegiers presents thirteen oil paintings that draw heavily from the Romantic tradition. The motifs of fires, stray dogs, masks, crows, and forests — elements from the previous show — reappear, but are now joined by fresh symbols that further enrich the narrative. Among these new elements are a relentless grand duke, a mysterious eclipse, and the grotesque return of humanity: a slow-moving, mechanical procession of masked figures reminiscent of James Ensor’s musicians, blind to the world’s deteriorating state.

Roegiers’ mischievous wit is on full display, offering a sharply satirical portrayal of the disconnect between the flamboyant, raucous parade and the ruined world it marches through, all under the bewildered gaze of a pack of emaciated dogs.

“I wanted to reintroduce people into my story to express my own despair at the madness of society, the helplessness that often engulfs us,” Roegiers explains. “In The Solitude of the Deserter — a self-portrait — I depict a disoriented figure, unsure of how to handle the boldness of his departure from the collective. The eclipse serves as a reminder of our insignificance, mere specks of confetti in the vast expanse of the universe.”