Call of the void (l'appel du vide) refers to a fleeting dark impulse — a vision of a dangerous action that flashes across otherwise calm or indifferent thoughts. It is a widely experienced phenomenon, a momentary drift between the conscious and unconscious mind. When described, it seems troubling, yet it is simply a weird slippage, a psychological quiver.
To be called by the void is to experience the vertigo of possibility, to detach from routine and imagine an abrupt shift. The phrase evokes the sublime, the abyss, an absent or centreless space that is simultaneously disquieting and soothing — tranquillity or its opposite, depending on a subtle shift in perspective.
It is this capacity for simultaneity that Robin seeks in his paintings: to have rival sentiments running in tandem or pulling apart, much like the fluctuation between intimacy and artifice that is central to painting's dilemma. His paintings are weighted with intention, yet their expression is tempered by remoteness. They pursue a stillness that is pressurised, engaging with the intensity and tragedy of painting's history, but interrupted by deadpan moments that numb the romance.
The traditions of painting are openly quoted in Robin's work — its pathos, melancholy, and solemnity. He references this inheritance through techniques, motifs, palettes, and direct allusion to existing works. However, there is always an aspect of reframing: a shift in context, an interruption, or an abrupt counterpoint. Tragedy and intensity are sought as much through withdrawal, detachment, and proxies as through the dramatic language of tradition. This is tradition as a compressed file — one with anomalies, artefacts, and leakages. Genre still life, particularly from the Golden Age societies of Northern Europe and Spain, is emblematic in Robin's work. These artefacts of wealth and luxury — glossy and seductive — are tempered by macabre undercurrents and heavy atmospheres of piety and paranoia. Robin draws on this history as shorthand to address the enduring vibration between seduction and denial, providing a contemporary context for those heavy atmospheres.
These fragments of existing paintings are just one aspect of the diverse methods Robin uses to create his work. Images may develop from found sources, staged photographs, or digital processes. The variety of approaches is crucial to his practice, mirroring the intensity and vertigo of contemporary life. While simultaneity, dissonance, and counterpoint are central to his work, there is a temperament, intentionality, and investigative tone that binds each thread together.
