PERPETUAL BLISS. Formes, symboles et materiaux dans la sculpture contemporaine

Perpetual Bliss/ English

PERPETUAL BLISS
FORMS, SYMBOLS AND MATERIAL IN
CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE

9 OCTOBER - 10 NOVEMBER 2003

Is it truly possible to define sculpture today?
Throughout the XXth century sculpture has never ceased to call its own foundations into question; in this respect it is symptomatic of artistic revolutions and their renewal. From the questioning of its own basis - see, for
example, Rodin’s "The Burghers of Calais" - that, from this period, was to accompany the abandon of allegory and realism as far as the rejection of noble materials, sculpture has undergone such transformation that any attempt
to define its contours is a challenge.

Barnett Newmann stated that "sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting". Beyond this provocative statement - sculpture as something that is not - it is
necessary to understand the difficulty of getting to grips with an art form that following a series of surrenders - of subject, of narration, of its own durability through the use of organic and
unstable materials - is seeking its destiny.

The major figures in contemporary art are represented here: from Balkenhol to Tony
Cragg, from Not Vital to Sylvie Fleury. This
exhibition does not aim to be exhaustive, but
rather to be a panorama of contemporary
sculpture, this language within space.

That the sculptures of Balkenhol - figurative
subjects shaped directly from wood - and those
of Tom Sachs - reproduction of a space shuttle
on a diverse scale using foam - have little in
common is an understatement. Nevertheless,
their destiny does: it is truly in this
confrontation, in this "body to body" of a 3
dimensional object and of ourselves that this
object exists as a sculpture.

It is certainly possible to connect certain
sculptures to, shall we say, a more figurative
tradition: from Gormley who uses his own body
as a model for his metallic sculptures to Donald
Baechler with his bouquet of flowers in bronze or
Liza Lou with her sculptures covered in pearls.
Whereas Rockenschaub with his inflatable
sculptures interrogates the very matter of a
work of art. The "Word Pieces" of Jack Pierson
are made up of an assembly of sign lettering: is
this really sculpture or, rather, painting? These
sculptures are related to signs as may be seen
in the neon work by Sylvie Fleury, "Perpetual
Bliss". You could call it a language. They make
up nothing less than that which we may still call
Sculpture.

It can be seen: the vast panorama that this
exceptional exhibition offers us is in the image of
the adventure that sculpture is still undertaking:
a definition to come, in the making.

For further information about the exhibition, or
to get hold of visuals intended for publication
please contact Léonie Moschner or Eric Mircher.
Tel.: +33 1 42 72 99 00, fax: + 33 1 42 72 61 66
or by e-mail: galerie@ropac.net

PERPETUAL BLISS
FORMS, SYMBOLS AND MATERIAL IN
CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE

9 OCTOBER - 10 NOVEMBER 2003

Is it truly possible to define sculpture today?
Throughout the XXth century sculpture has
never ceased to call its own foundations into
question; in this respect it is symptomatic of
artistic revolutions and their renewal.
From the questioning of its own basis - see, for
example, Rodin’s "The Burghers of Calais" -
that, from this period, was to accompany the
abandon of allegory and realism as far as the
rejection of noble materials, sculpture has
undergone such transformation that any attempt
to define its contours is a challenge.

Barnett Newmann stated that "sculpture is what
you bump into when you back up to see a
painting". Beyond this provocative statement -
sculpture as something that is not - it is
necessary to understand the difficulty of getting
to grips with an art form that following a series
of surrenders - of subject, of narration, of its
own durability through the use of organic and
unstable materials - is seeking its destiny.

The major figures in contemporary art are
represented here: from Balkenhol to Tony
Cragg, from Not Vital to Sylvie Fleury. This
exhibition does not aim to be exhaustive, but
rather to be a panorama of contemporary
sculpture, this language within space.

That the sculptures of Balkenhol - figurative
subjects shaped directly from wood - and those
of Tom Sachs - reproduction of a space shuttle
on a diverse scale using foam - have little in
common is an understatement. Nevertheless,
their destiny does: it is truly in this
confrontation, in this "body to body" of a 3
dimensional object and of ourselves that this
object exists as a sculpture.

It is certainly possible to connect certain
sculptures to, shall we say, a more figurative
tradition: from Gormley who uses his own body
as a model for his metallic sculptures to Donald
Baechler with his bouquet of flowers in bronze or
Liza Lou with her sculptures covered in pearls.
Whereas Rockenschaub with his inflatable
sculptures interrogates the very matter of a
work of art. The "Word Pieces" of Jack Pierson
are made up of an assembly of sign lettering: is
this really sculpture or, rather, painting? These
sculptures are related to signs as may be seen
in the neon work by Sylvie Fleury, "Perpetual
Bliss". You could call it a language. They make
up nothing less than that which we may still call
Sculpture.

It can be seen: the vast panorama that this
exceptional exhibition offers us is in the image of
the adventure that sculpture is still undertaking:
a definition to come, in the making.

For further information about the exhibition, or
to get hold of visuals intended for publication
please contact Léonie Moschner or Eric Mircher.
Tel.: +33 1 42 72 99 00, fax: + 33 1 42 72 61 66
or by e-mail: galerie@ropac.net

PERPETUAL BLISS
FORMS, SYMBOLS AND MATERIAL IN
CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE

9 OCTOBER - 10 NOVEMBER 2003

Is it truly possible to define sculpture today?
Throughout the XXth century sculpture has
never ceased to call its own foundations into
question; in this respect it is symptomatic of
artistic revolutions and their renewal.
From the questioning of its own basis - see, for
example, Rodin’s "The Burghers of Calais" -
that, from this period, was to accompany the
abandon of allegory and realism as far as the
rejection of noble materials, sculpture has
undergone such transformation that any attempt
to define its contours is a challenge.

Barnett Newmann stated that "sculpture is what
you bump into when you back up to see a
painting". Beyond this provocative statement -
sculpture as something that is not - it is
necessary to understand the difficulty of getting
to grips with an art form that following a series
of surrenders - of subject, of narration, of its
own durability through the use of organic and
unstable materials - is seeking its destiny.

The major figures in contemporary art are
represented here: from Balkenhol to Tony
Cragg, from Not Vital to Sylvie Fleury. This
exhibition does not aim to be exhaustive, but
rather to be a panorama of contemporary
sculpture, this language within space.

That the sculptures of Balkenhol - figurative
subjects shaped directly from wood - and those
of Tom Sachs - reproduction of a space shuttle
on a diverse scale using foam - have little in
common is an understatement. Nevertheless,
their destiny does: it is truly in this
confrontation, in this "body to body" of a 3
dimensional object and of ourselves that this
object exists as a sculpture.

It is certainly possible to connect certain
sculptures to, shall we say, a more figurative
tradition: from Gormley who uses his own body
as a model for his metallic sculptures to Donald
Baechler with his bouquet of flowers in bronze or
Liza Lou with her sculptures covered in pearls.
Whereas Rockenschaub with his inflatable
sculptures interrogates the very matter of a
work of art. The "Word Pieces" of Jack Pierson
are made up of an assembly of sign lettering: is
this really sculpture or, rather, painting? These
sculptures are related to signs as may be seen
in the neon work by Sylvie Fleury, "Perpetual
Bliss". You could call it a language. They make
up nothing less than that which we may still call
Sculpture.

It can be seen: the vast panorama that this
exceptional exhibition offers us is in the image of
the adventure that sculpture is still undertaking:
a definition to come, in the making.

For further information about the exhibition, or
to get hold of visuals intended for publication
please contact Léonie Moschner or Eric Mircher.
Tel.: +33 1 42 72 99 00, fax: + 33 1 42 72 61 66
or by e-mail: galerie@ropac.net

PERPETUAL BLISS
FORMS, SYMBOLS AND MATERIAL IN
CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE

9 OCTOBER - 10 NOVEMBER 2003

Is it truly possible to define sculpture today?
Throughout the XXth century sculpture has
never ceased to call its own foundations into
question; in this respect it is symptomatic of
artistic revolutions and their renewal.
From the questioning of its own basis - see, for
example, Rodin’s "The Burghers of Calais" -
that, from this period, was to accompany the
abandon of allegory and realism as far as the
rejection of noble materials, sculpture has
undergone such transformation that any attempt
to define its contours is a challenge.

Barnett Newmann stated that "sculpture is what
you bump into when you back up to see a
painting". Beyond this provocative statement -
sculpture as something that is not - it is
necessary to understand the difficulty of getting
to grips with an art form that following a series
of surrenders - of subject, of narration, of its
own durability through the use of organic and
unstable materials - is seeking its destiny.

The major figures in contemporary art are
represented here: from Balkenhol to Tony
Cragg, from Not Vital to Sylvie Fleury. This
exhibition does not aim to be exhaustive, but
rather to be a panorama of contemporary
sculpture, this language within space.

That the sculptures of Balkenhol - figurative
subjects shaped directly from wood - and those
of Tom Sachs - reproduction of a space shuttle
on a diverse scale using foam - have little in
common is an understatement. Nevertheless,
their destiny does: it is truly in this
confrontation, in this "body to body" of a 3
dimensional object and of ourselves that this
object exists as a sculpture.

It is certainly possible to connect certain
sculptures to, shall we say, a more figurative
tradition: from Gormley who uses his own body
as a model for his metallic sculptures to Donald
Baechler with his bouquet of flowers in bronze or
Liza Lou with her sculptures covered in pearls.
Whereas Rockenschaub with his inflatable
sculptures interrogates the very matter of a
work of art. The "Word Pieces" of Jack Pierson
are made up of an assembly of sign lettering: is
this really sculpture or, rather, painting? These
sculptures are related to signs as may be seen
in the neon work by Sylvie Fleury, "Perpetual
Bliss". You could call it a language. They make
up nothing less than that which we may still call
Sculpture.

It can be seen: the vast panorama that this
exceptional exhibition offers us is in the image of
the adventure that sculpture is still undertaking:
a definition to come, in the making.

For further information about the exhibition, or
to get hold of visuals intended for publication
please contact Léonie Moschner or Eric Mircher.
Tel.: +33 1 42 72 99 00, fax: + 33 1 42 72 61 66
or by e-mail: galerie@ropac.net