Philippe Chancel (FR) | Solo
Curation: Hercules Papaioannou
Gallery
Philippe Chancel (GR)
Over the past twenty years Philippe Chancel’s photography has explored the complex, shifting and fertile territory where art, documentary and journalism meet. His work is a constantly evolving project, focusing on the status of images when they are confronted with what constitutes “images” in the contemporary world.
Born in 1959, Philippe Chancel now works and lives in Paris. He was introduced to photography at a very young age, took an economics degree at the University of Paris (Nanterre) followed by a post-graduate diploma in journalism at the Cfpj in Paris.
Philippe Chancel’s work has been widely exhibited and published in France and abroad in a number of prestigious publications. These include Regards d’artistes – portraits of contemporary artists –, Souvenirs – a series of portraits of great capital cities (Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, Brussels) glimpsed through shop windows – produced in collaboration with Valérie Weill, and, lastly, his North Korean project, which brought him international recognition. – portraits of contemporary artists –, Souvenirs – a series of portraits of great capital cities (Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, Brussels) glimpsed through shop windows – produced in collaboration with Valérie Weill, and, lastly, his North Korean project, which brought him international recognition
Η DPRKDPRK, in which Chancel offers a revealing and original vision of North Korea, was first shown in 2006 at the Rencontres d’Arles, then at the C/O Berlin. It was also exhibited at the Photographers’ Gallery in London, as part of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize exhibition, where it won the visitors’ poll. DPRK also appeared in book form, published by Thames and Hudson. His Emirates project was initially presented at the 53rd Venice Biennale in the Abu Dhabi pavilion, curated by Catherine David, and was part of the “Dreamlands” exhibition at Centre Pompidou curated by Quentin Bajac. DPRK also appeared in book form, published by Thames and Hudson. His Emirates project was initially presented at the 53rd Venice Biennale in the Abu Dhabi pavilion, curated by Catherine David, and was part of the “Dreamlands” exhibition at Centre Pompidou curated by Quentin Bajac. Emirates also appeared in book form, published by Thames and Hudson. His Emirates project was initially presented at the 53rd Venice Biennale in the Abu Dhabi pavilion, curated by Catherine David, and was part Dreamlands the “Dreamlands” exhibition at Centre Pompidou curated by Quentin Bajac.
For fifteen years, Philippe Chancel explored sensitive areas of our planet to study the world and document the most alarming symptoms of its decline. Working in such a way does not fit in with any identified genre of photography, making “Datazone“ an invention that encompasses the most tangible signs of a predicted disaster: a traumatic ecology, chaotic deindustrialization, toxic setbacks resulting from modernization. From China to the United States, from Africa to Europe, the whole world is screaming, with no shelter in sight. Philippe Chancel is a classic photographer. Everything he builds confirms that the modern world has not kept its promise. A great narrative is made of assembled images that show a profound sensitivity to the world.
Information
- Duration: 08/10/21-20/02/22
- Opening Hours: TU | WE | FR | SA | SU > 10:00-18:00, TH > 12:00-20:00
- Venue: MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art
Arirang is a Korean folk song, a love story with thousands of variations, considered the country's anthem and estimated to be 600 years old. A UNESCO World Heritage Site it has been declared at the request of both South and North Korea.The Arirang Festival took place in Pyongyang between 2002 and 2013 and has been repeated since 2018. The Mass Games orchestrate North Korea's political narrative, with an emphasis on the Labor Party and the armed forces, and often blurred symbols: The rising sun symbolizes Kim Il-sung. The weapon is what the leader gave to his son as a legacy. The color red reflects the working class. The snow-capped mountain and lake represent Mount Paektu where Kim Jong-il is said to have been born in a hut. The Arirang Festival Mass Games are structured on two levels: on the one hand as a choreographed gymnastic demonstration in the center of the stadium performed by tens of thousands of gymnasts and dancers. This part shows the invaluable popular will to face every difficulty and danger. On the other hand, as an iconography composed by thousands of educated students, who form with colored cards a vivid, changing background. The huge mosaics of images that emerge offer the symbolic, ideological context, history, everyday life and achievements of the people. The two strands together constitute directed state propaganda carried out by the citizens.
Philippe Chancel gradually introduces us to the atmosphere of the events, with the deep multicolor and the vivid political symbolism. Absolute accuracy in execution metaphorically implies a society based on discipline and collectivity. The variation in the shooting distance allows us to study sometimes dynamic presentations towards historical or social landscapes of the country, and sometimes details that reveal the very structure of the background. If, however, one considers such a massive discipline and retreat of individuality in the context of a totalitarian regime to be graphic in the 21st century, Chancel's photographs from the Arirang Festival seem to send a timely message to Western societies, which adopt mass disciplines less visible in public space, but no less effective. A question that may arise is whether the man of the 21st century can remain participatory while at the same time strengthening his individual identity. Similarly, if, despite the distinct richness of nuances of this identity, we experience at the same time the largest attempt by the world to belong to a homogenized economic, political and cultural context.
Hercules Papaioannou