Exhibition "TGV – LANDSCAPES AT 240 KM/H" at La Mob

VERNISSAGE SATURDAY APRIL 19TH AT 6PM

A fleeting glance – fragments of the French countryside flying by – barely a moment to catch them with my pen – mere gestures in an ambiguous landscape – is that a steeple in the morning haze – or the silhouette of a lone cyprus? – is that hilltop shape in the afternoon glare a natural rock outcropping? – or perhaps the remains of an ancient fortress?
These are the questions which have fascinated me over the years, each time I travel by TGV from Avignon to Paris and back. How does one capture the essence of an entire village in the few seconds it takes to pass one by? And what to do with these notebooks full of frantic sketches?
My answer can be found in this series of small black- and-white monotypes, produced between 2019 and 2024.
This exhibit features 14 works out of a total of around 100 produced during that time, including varying stylistic approaches to explore different aspects of the experience: peed, light, ambiguity and possibility. I hope this may inspire your imagination the next time you travel by TGV!
John Hopkins – 2025