Art to change society
”Paul‐Yves Poumay has a background in finance and marketing, and extensive work experience in banking and insurance both in Belgium and in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Although his passion for art is rooted in childhood (his first prize for a photograph dates back to 1986, on the occasion of AGFA-GEVAERT competition for the Museum of Photography in Charleroi, Belgium), his job has kept him away from arts for several years. One day this situation unexpectedly changed and, following his heart, he decided to enroll in the Art Academy of Spa in Belgium.
He's been publishing various short essays about society, writing for the prestigious "Le Monde", the Belgian business newspaper, "L'Echo" and the daily newspaper "La Libre". He is also the founder (2017) of the non‐ profit organization AWI Art World Institute Asbl whose mission is to build a fairer and more sustainable world and contribute to human progress.
Provocative and ironic, hypersensitive and yet incredibly optimistic, Poumay's work has many intentions, but is precisely oriented towards others. Labelled as utopian, he expresses his indignation towards the corrosive power of money and imposes his status of "the most expensive artist in worldwide contemporary art scene". He transforms his own questions into a quirky expressionism, moving from the most colorful shades to the darkest tones. He is self‐taught and instinctive and, through the use of arts (painting, sculpture or photography) and absurdity, challenges the world of finance and shakes the foundations of our societies. He provokes reactions while condemning in particular the societal aberrations we are witnessing today. Paul Yves Poumay is the creator of the sculpture “The return of Don Quixote”, estimated at over € two billions.
He has been involved in residencies (RUC, Italian Alps and Villa‐R, Sicily) and important international group shows such as the Art Show Paris III (winner of the 2nd prize, 2019), the European Contemporary Art Fair in Strasburg (France, 2019) and the Hartexpo in Barcelona (Spain, 2019). His solo exhibition in Alemi Art Gallery (Leόn, Spain) – coinciding with Covid-crisis – closed before the official date, but has presented values surprisingly in tune with current times. During the lockdown he participated in "Hello World", a global Internet exhibition by Transcultural Exchange (Boston, USA) featuring cultural venues from 70 different countries. In 2019 he took part in the DF art project which has put on display a selection of his most recent sculptures at the Parc Floral in Paris (France) in October 2020.
First prize for a photograph on the occasion of AGFA-GEVAERT competition for the Museum of Photography in Charleroi, Belgium
2019Winner of the 2nd Prize for thr Art Show Paris III
Art for Change - curated by Carmen D'Antonino and Martina Scavone - Spazio Arte Petrecca (Isernia, Italy)
2020Alemi Art Gallery (Léon, Spain)
Human Rights @Work - curated by Roberto Ronca - AIAPI UNESCO - Fondazione Opera Campana dei Caduti (Rovereto, Italy)
2020Mil@no Photo Award 2020, M.A.D.S Art Gallery - (Milan, Italy)
2020DF Art Project - Parc Floral (Paris, France)
2020Hello World - Online Art Project by Transcultural Exchange - (Boston, USA)
2019Mega Art Gallery - L'Arte, i suoi colori e le sue forme - Art, its colors and forms - Corchiano (Rome, Italy)
2019Art Nou Mil.lenni - Gallery - (Barcelona, Spain)
2019HartExpo - Internacional de Arte Contemporanea - (Barcelona, Spain)
2019European Contemporary Art Fair - (Strasbourg, France)
2019Paris Art Show Paris - (Paris, France)
2019The Hidden Truths - curated by Claudia Mantelli - Pisacane Gallery - (Milano, Italy)
Behind the scenes - part 2, The London Art Review, written by Francesca Vine (London, Uk)
2021In conversation with Paul-Yves Poumay - part 1, The London Art Review, written by Francesca Vine (London, Uk)
2021Behind his art, The Hall News Magazine, written by Esra Kanbur (London, Uk)
2021In conversation with Paul-Yves Poumay, The Mackayan, written by Francesca Vine (Scotland, Uk)
2021On capitalism, collectivism & the absurd, The Mackayan, written by Francesca Vine (Scotland, Uk)
2020El arte consciente de Paul Yves Poumay, Arte Mision Blog (Madrid, Spain)
2020L’artiste Paul-Yves Poumay s’engage pour contribuer à changer le monde, Génie de l'Art - Génie de l'Entreprise | Senzeo Art (Paris, France)
2020Paul Yves Poumay, Art to change society, Ottica Contemporanea (Naples, Italy)
2020Paul Yves Poumay, Circle Foundation for the Arts
2020Paul Yves Poumay e i rintocchi della rivoluzione, Chiasmo Magazine (Rome, Italy)
2020Artist Paul-Yves Poumay Discusses How Art Will Change Society, Cueva Gallery (Dublin, Ireland)
2020Poumay o la idea de cambiar la sociedad a través del arte, La nueva cronìca (Léon, Spain)
2020La voiture du futur sera celle qu’on ne fabriquera pas, L'Echo + La Libre (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2019L'art pour changer la société, http://canolinecritiks.blogspot.com/ (Paris, France)
2019Lettre ouverte à Mademoiselle Greta Thunberg, L'Echo (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2019Pour une déclaration annuelle de CO2, Le Monde (Paris, France)
2019Plaider pour le pouvoir d'achat, est-ce plaider contre le climat?, La Libre (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2018Le "bank-system", le chantage déguisé des banques, La Libre (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2018La politique naphtaline, La Libre (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2017L'art pour refonder la finance, L'Echo (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2012Prix, valeur et société immature, La Libre (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2011La désindustrialisation financière, La Libre (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2011Pour la création d'un comité d'éthique mondial, La Libre (Bruxelles, Belgium)
2011Et si on cessait de léguer ses biens?, L'Echo (Bruxelles, Belgium)
