ART CITIES:Paris-Pierre et Gilles
The French duo Pierre et Gilles pose an interesting paradox: their painted photographs are stylistically unique, bearing a highly specialized aesthetic that is uniquely their own, yet their work is patently derivative, made from the overt mixing of preexisting imagery, styles, genres, and pictorial traditions.Their works are the result of a grab-bag of aesthetic interests, taking equal pleasure in divinity and banality, beauty and smut.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Galerie Daniel Templon Archive
Pierre et Gilles’ solo exhibition “Le temps imaginaire” is constructed as a journey through the artists’ universe. Their world is enchanting but haunted by recent events. It plays with a certain French spirit, where diversity and openness to others as well as the notion of resistance take on a new dimension, paradoxically both weighty and carefree. Visitors are greeted by a “Sentinel” who reminds them of the operation of the same name (the current deployment of soldiers in France to protect against terrorism). They go on to discover the moving evening prayer uttered by a young Muslim then in “Love from Paris” (2016), an amorous trio against the background of the Eiffel Tower, evoking a certain free spirit of Paris. In a nod to the 1936 introduction of paid leave in France, a decidedly droll self-portrait of the couple with the artists depicted as fans of Parisian football club PSG offers a contribution to the debate on wearing headscarves that downplays the issue. In one of the gallery’s alcoves, Pierre et Gilles pay tribute to artist Bernard Buffet, who chose to bring a dignified end to his life rather than renounce painting. Pierre et Gilles began working together in 1976, and their distinctive style has enjoyed great success ever. Their first works employed simple backgrounds and clean colous. At the time, they were less concerned about ornaments and the theatrical staging. Portraits of Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop, published in the French magazine “Façade”, propelled them to fame. Obsessed with a dreamlike world, Pierre et Gilles ignore realism and artistic conventions and thus skilfully abolish some of the frontiers between high art and low art. Their photographs are all hand-painted, making each one unique. They have established a distinctive visual world drawing on popular imagery, mythology, magic, slapstick, religion and eroticism. The two artists explore and reinvent popular images, crossing frontiers and fuelling a collective imagination that reaches well beyond the confines of contemporary art. Their personal pantheon is peopled by stars from the worlds of pop, rock, fashion, art, cinema and the clubbing scene, but also by unknown individuals they have met over the years.
Info: Galerie Daniel Templon, 30 rue Beaubourg, Paris, Duration: 13/1-10/3/18, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00, https://templon.com/new
