French artist Seth's evocative exhibition, L'Enfance de l'art (The Infancy of Art), is set to debut on June 14 at M Art Center in Shanghai's Putuo district. Born in Paris, Seth is a renowned urban artist who began painting on walls in the 1990s, developing a style rooted in his childhood insights and imagination.

For Seth, childhood serves as a dynamic lens through which to perceive, dream, and challenge the world. His vibrant canvases reflect his global journey, from Chinese village children assisting in mixing paints to Haitian youths guiding him through local neighborhoods. Seth's profound connections with these communities go beyond mere portraiture, serving as gateways to shared memories.

 The exhibition's warm yet wistful yellow-blue palette mirrors Seth's nuanced perspectives on the world: cracked, yet brimming with hope. Children featured in his works often stand against fading landscapes, such as crumbling walls, alleys facing demolition, and communities vanishing due to urbanization. Rather than merely evoking nostalgia, these portrayals infuse vitality into overlooked spaces, sparking fresh narratives.

To Seth, The Infancy of Art represents not naivety but an instinctual truth: memory as a gentle yet persistent act of preservation against oblivion. The exhibition serves as an invitation to rediscover childhood as a timeless way of perceiving — one that observes details, embraces curiosity, and tenderly safeguards fading memories. In a rapidly changing world, Seth proposes that this perspective acts as our most authentic shield against forgetting.

Source: Official WeChat account of Putuo district administration of culture and tourism at "shpt_wl"