I'm so disappointed that this was my last contemporary arts class with the amazingly inspiring Mr Timothy Perkins. I have definitely seen work, experienced galleries and partaken in debates which have broadened my mind, challenged my preconceptions and taught me a significant amount amount Paris's social structure, different quartiers and arts scene. It really has been a priceless experience and I feel so fortunate to have made friends with people from such different cultures and walks of life.
So anyway. Back to the last session. Timothy sent us a rather sarcastic email describing how we would be heading right into the heart of hardcore commercialism. As if we were going to sleep with the devil. The galleries we would visit would symbolize the success in Contemporary art fro a Capitalism perspective but equally a way of measuring the gallerist's success. I know he was being sarcastic, but this negative stance made me apprehensive as to whether one should really 'like' the art shown within such establishments. Nonetheless I headed along with an open mind. And actually found the work incredibly impressive. As another student Gemma said, we felt a little guilty liking the work with it's strong consumerist driven attraction, but it was difficult not to appreciate the talent. Unlike the galleries in the 6th last week, which displayed art one would describe as only really decorative objects, this week the concepts, working process and final outcomes were all equally honorable.
These galleries could not be more opposite than the modest spaces offered in the likes of suburbs such as Belleville. I suppose you would call them 'The Ritz' of the galleries. In impressive buildings, with several vast floors, multiple exhibitions, their own libraries and in some cases a second branch in another european country.
This weeks session took us first to the renowned gallery of Yvon Lambert. The first of three exhibitions was by German-born, New York based, Brazilian artist Janaina Tschäpe. At first I was captivated by her drawings. Her style was extremely expressive, flowing and organic. With shapes and colours mimicking bloom and decay that look so appropriately inspired by her deep understanding of the natural world. Her desire is to present not only her impressionistic representations of natural landscapes but also pieces that envelope the viewer and are landscapes in and of themselves. As I proceeded to move through the series I became less convinced by the imagery. I feel the artist took on an increasingly illustrative style which verged on being girly and overly pretty. The energy, emotion and freedom of the first few images seemed to have completely disappeared.
Having said this, I could appreciate this work far more than the other two exhibitions which were too conceptual for my liking. In particular, the work of Koo Jeon-A totally lost me. However, the fact that it was her 7th personal exhibition at the gallery convinced me that there must be more than meets the eye to her haphazard, in situ installations. I gathered that her interest lay in the representation of landscape on a small, intimate scale but without further explanation, my appreciation remained somewhat stunted. This once again raises the question that has been discussed many times during our classes, that of whether an artist should provide a written explanation of their work or not?
From here, we headed to Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. Perhaps the 'Harrods' of all galleries! The main exhibition was that of renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. As I understand, the artist himself died in the late 80s and this exhibition, curated by Sofia Coppola provides a kind of retrospective of all of his life's work. His photographs left a lasting impression on me. Although at first glance they appear classic, on closer inspection their ambiguous nature and the subtle trickery of the photographer comes to light. Carefully considered detail, such as a nude lady leaning upwards on a sunlounger which gives a parallel image of her propping up the horizon line of the sky keep one captivated and eager to see more.
The other exhibitions in both the upstairs and downstairs rooms were very thought provoking and admirable in their skill and execution. I left without a single doubt as to why this gallery was so successful.
Wondering if things could possibly get any better, we next took a visit to Galerie Karsten Greve to see their collective exhibition 'on paper III', which showcases the work of twelve artists who each use paper in different ways. The majority of the artists I had not heard of before, and therefore I was shocked to see a Louise Bourgeois drawing amongst the exhibits. (See below).
Stand-out artists for me were-
-Raul Illarramendi. This artist explores a personal representation of the errors and traces left through spontaneous activity. At first I thought I had his method all figured out- soft chalk pastels applied and then removed by a finger or a rubber. However what has actually been created is a pencil drawing. A drawing of the non-existent removal. It is all a very convincing trick which must have taken considerable skill in its execution. Timothy, as a friend of the artist, told us how the work organically grows with no preconceived plan. I like this spontaneaty and was truly blown away by the exquisite attention to detail of the work.
-Claire Morgan. Her drawings and sculptures were extremely fine and almost ethereal in their appearance, With a keen interest in taxidermy, the delicate pencil drawings and colour added with the dried blood of her subjects gave them a haunting appearance.
-Marina Karella. This artist played with the idea of creating soft focus paintings much like one would expect to see in photographs. In order to do this she worked with layers of tracing paper placed over the original painting and then proceeded to paint on top of the tracing paper to allow certain elements to stand out. Such a simple technique, but certainly an interesting way of adding more depth and atmosphere to a painting.
Finally we went to a gallery I had long been wanting to visit since being at its newest exhibition's Vernissage (which was the most extraordinarily intimate Massive attack concert). The gallery was called Galerie Perrotin and its exhibition,
by an artist named JR evoked several conflicting opinions amongst the group. Several people took a quick walk around before totally dismissing the work and waiting outside. I personally was intrigued by the work. Watching videos helped explain and provided significant insight into the artists' reasons behind the location and indeed subject of his work.
In brief, JR works by creating monumentally sized photographs which he pastes into a whole host of urban landscapes around the world from walls in the Middle East, suburban buildings in Paris, dilapidated African bridges to being nestled amongst impoverished favelas in Brazil. In his choice to not hold back and use in effect the world as his gallery space I suppose his photographs possess considerable power, strength and impact. The artist himself strives to make us think through "inviting on stage anonymous heroes, displaying the faces of humanity".
His choice to use anonymous local people with interesting faces has certainly roused much curiosity across the globe. Some students thought that these individuals were being "used" by the artist who was taking advantage of their lack of knowledge, culture and total cluelessness that they were the subject of a ridiculously expensive art project. However, on seeing interviews with these people it was actually warming to see how touched they were to be asked and how proud they were to have an image of themselves domineering over their local urban landscape. Timothy struggled to except the location of the work, He argued that it was rather condescending choosing to hang your art work within a poverty stricken favela just so that the backdrop is culturally interesting and colourful. I can see both sides of the argument. In my opinion, aesthetically the photographs are striking and awe inspiring. However there is undeniably some sort of unsettling feeling when this extravagant, high flying world of contemporary art is placed within an environment where even daily life is a struggle that does not sit comfortably within the stomach.
Next week is my final class but unfortunately due to the Textile Department finishing a week before the Industrial Design department I will have already left Paris for home. However, the task of next weeks class is actually a presentation/object/explanation in front of the group of what we have learnt or what has struck us the most during the duration of our classes. Eager not to miss out, I will be watching the group and doing my own presentation over skype next Wednesday. Bringing Contemporary Art in Paris to Wales!
