Guillaume Leblon & Laurent Montaron - Walks
22 Jun - 21 Jul 2007
BISCHOFF/WEISS is pleased to present "Walks", a new show curated
by Jean-Conrad Lemaître featuring video works by French artists
Laurent Montaron and Guillaume Leblon. The exhibition presents two
film works: on the ground floor "Villa Cavroix" by Leblon and in the
basement "Readings" by Montaron. Both films explore the viewer's
perception of space, subverting it through partial disclosure and using
shadow to shroud the environment in mystery. Issues of temporality
are taken up, with ideas of past, present and future being
simultaneously evoked.
"Villa Cavroix" explores the history of a building through its contents,
heightening the sense of what has come before by the disintegration of
the interior. The camera focuses in closely on the objects viewed,
emphasizing the state of decay and decomposition and depriving
viewers of all landmarks from which to gain bearings as to the
geography of the house, resulting in a feeling of disorientation. As the
film unfolds, this bewilderment turns into curiosity and anticipation as
each close-up scene provides a clue to the mystery of the house, the
history of its walls and the stories registered there.
"Readings" is a hypnotic work, taking the viewer in a slow whirl, from
shadow to light, from mystery towards revelation. Filmed at Meudon's
Observatory, the film unfurls under the form of an enigma, in which the
identity of the place is revealed only progressively. The film brings
about a strange atmosphere, oscillating between tension and relief,
where the accompanying soundtrack makes up an oppressing partition.
The absence of a voice-over, replaced by the written text of New York
fortune-tellers' predictions, allows the viewer to make these archetypal
scripts his own, like an inner voice, as if he himself personified the
narrator.
Guillaume Leblon (b.1971) lives and works in the Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris.
His work includes site-specific installations, films, photographs and
sculptures. Since 2000, he had a residency at the Rijksakademie, NL,
a solo show at the Kunstverein Düsseldorf and has been shown
widely in Europe. In 2006, he took part in the group show "Incipit" at
the Ricard Foundation, Paris. In 2007, his work was presented in Art
Unlimited at Art Basel and in the exhibition "Air de Paris" at the
Centre Pompidou, Paris. In conjunction with the show "Walks" at
BISCHOFF/WEISS, "Villa Cavroix" will be screened at the Slovenian
pavilion for the 52nd Venice Biennale.
Laurent Montaron (b. 1972) lives and works in Paris. His work has been
shown throughout the United States and Europe. In 2005, his work was
presented in the group show "I Still Believe in Miracles" at the
ARC/Musee d'art Moderne de la ville de Paris. At the beginning of
the year he took part in the group show "I am a future melancholic" at
the Tate Modern, as well as the exhibition "Free Electrons" featuring
the Lemaître collection presented at the ICCC, San Sebastian.
Jean-Conrad Lemaître is a leading European art collector who, together
with his wife Isabelle, has been collecting video over the past ten years.
In Spring 2006, La Maison Rouge/Fondation Antoine de Galbert,
Paris showed an exhibition of 25 selected works from the Lemaîtres
video collection. In 2007, other works from their collection have been
exhibited at the Tabacalera, International Contemporary Culture
Centre of San Sebastian, Spain.
by Jean-Conrad Lemaître featuring video works by French artists
Laurent Montaron and Guillaume Leblon. The exhibition presents two
film works: on the ground floor "Villa Cavroix" by Leblon and in the
basement "Readings" by Montaron. Both films explore the viewer's
perception of space, subverting it through partial disclosure and using
shadow to shroud the environment in mystery. Issues of temporality
are taken up, with ideas of past, present and future being
simultaneously evoked.
"Villa Cavroix" explores the history of a building through its contents,
heightening the sense of what has come before by the disintegration of
the interior. The camera focuses in closely on the objects viewed,
emphasizing the state of decay and decomposition and depriving
viewers of all landmarks from which to gain bearings as to the
geography of the house, resulting in a feeling of disorientation. As the
film unfolds, this bewilderment turns into curiosity and anticipation as
each close-up scene provides a clue to the mystery of the house, the
history of its walls and the stories registered there.
"Readings" is a hypnotic work, taking the viewer in a slow whirl, from
shadow to light, from mystery towards revelation. Filmed at Meudon's
Observatory, the film unfurls under the form of an enigma, in which the
identity of the place is revealed only progressively. The film brings
about a strange atmosphere, oscillating between tension and relief,
where the accompanying soundtrack makes up an oppressing partition.
The absence of a voice-over, replaced by the written text of New York
fortune-tellers' predictions, allows the viewer to make these archetypal
scripts his own, like an inner voice, as if he himself personified the
narrator.
Guillaume Leblon (b.1971) lives and works in the Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris.
His work includes site-specific installations, films, photographs and
sculptures. Since 2000, he had a residency at the Rijksakademie, NL,
a solo show at the Kunstverein Düsseldorf and has been shown
widely in Europe. In 2006, he took part in the group show "Incipit" at
the Ricard Foundation, Paris. In 2007, his work was presented in Art
Unlimited at Art Basel and in the exhibition "Air de Paris" at the
Centre Pompidou, Paris. In conjunction with the show "Walks" at
BISCHOFF/WEISS, "Villa Cavroix" will be screened at the Slovenian
pavilion for the 52nd Venice Biennale.
Laurent Montaron (b. 1972) lives and works in Paris. His work has been
shown throughout the United States and Europe. In 2005, his work was
presented in the group show "I Still Believe in Miracles" at the
ARC/Musee d'art Moderne de la ville de Paris. At the beginning of
the year he took part in the group show "I am a future melancholic" at
the Tate Modern, as well as the exhibition "Free Electrons" featuring
the Lemaître collection presented at the ICCC, San Sebastian.
Jean-Conrad Lemaître is a leading European art collector who, together
with his wife Isabelle, has been collecting video over the past ten years.
In Spring 2006, La Maison Rouge/Fondation Antoine de Galbert,
Paris showed an exhibition of 25 selected works from the Lemaîtres
video collection. In 2007, other works from their collection have been
exhibited at the Tabacalera, International Contemporary Culture
Centre of San Sebastian, Spain.