Charles Pétillon, Igloo 2, Tirage pigmentaire, 2013; 60x78 cm, ed. 5, 111x147 cm, ed. 5
Let art make you float and live an immersive experience is Charles Petillon’s aim. The French photographer builds amazing in situ installations made of white balloons where one gets lost and live a truly artistic experience. In addition to an unprecedented installation made for the gallery, Petillon also presents in this exhibition his photographic work called “Invasions”. The series immortalizes the outdoor installations he has done. For Petillon balloons represent what we do not say, those we do not see, these untold or forgotten memories ... Balloons are universal objects, simple and accessible. They give the inspiration to artist to materialize his ideas and thoughts in a very poetic way.
From December 3 to January 21, Magda Danysz welcomes for the first time in Paris, Charles Pétillon presenting his poetic photographs around an immersive installation designed exclusively for the gallery. After making a huge buzz in London late 2015 with a floating installation of over 100,000 balloons in Covent Garden, the photographer invades the Magda Danysz Gallery by offering us a new perspective on its space.
Charles Pétillon's Invasions take over places around the world ranging from Calais and Dover beaches to the streets of Shanghai or to the black slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. His white clouds highlight environments. Charles Pétillon addresses the disappearance of our part of our world, evokes memories and questions the human footprint over nature.
Each time Charles Pétillon does an outdoor installation, it is the idea of the final photograph that triggers the installation. He creates a unique relationship between the ephemeral aspect of the installation and the photograph, which is the only testimony of something that does not exist anymore.
In the show at the gallery, besides these photographs, Charles Pétillon presents a new installation designed specifically for the space. Looking like an artificial forest, a dense arrangement of balloons allows us to experience the space in a different and immersvie way, even transforming our perception from sight to hearing.
About the exhibition
Dates: 3 DEC 2016 - 21 JAN 2017
Venue: Magda Danysz Gallery
Courtesy of the artist and Magda Danysz Gallery.
