Elmgreen & Dragset: the duo exhibit 7 fascinating sculptures at Galerie Perrotin

This autumn, Galerie Perrotin in Paris invites you to discover a puzzling and unusual exhibition. Entitled " David and Other Sculptures " , this free installation unveils seven sculptures, or sculpted groups, spread across 4 different rooms of the splendid Parisian contemporary art gallery.

On view from October 14 to November 18, 2023, this exhibition by the Elmgreen & Dragset duo - their 10th with the gallery - marks 20 years of collaboration between the two Berlin-based visual artists and the renowned Galerie Perrotin, known for having exhibited works by Daniel Arsham, Sophie Calle, JR, Takashi Murakami, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Pierre Soulages, Aya Takano and Emma Webster.

This new solo exhibition once again demonstrates the talent of the duo formed by Michael Elmgreen, born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ingar Dragset, born in Trondheim, Norway, whose work explores the relationship between art, architecture and design.

This time, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset focus on the technological tools that have truly changed the experience of art. Today, this experience is rarely direct; it transits through the sharing of images, sounds and texts, and is mediated by the smartphone.

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In the first room, a young man sits quietly on a floor, headphones screwed on his ears. A first sculpture in white-lacquered bronze, human-sized and presented in the manner of a painting, showing us a first encounter with a situation of"technological absorption".

Another room, another scenario, this time with a group of two figures: as an overturned two-wheeler lies on the ground, its driver - still wearing a helmet - is probably shocked. Further on, perched on a raised balcony, a second figure photographs the accident, preferring to take pictures rather than intervene. The Elmgreen & Dragset duo raise many questions about the image and the need to immortalize everything, even dramatic scenes.

In the third room, the work is more discreet and fragile, with children's hands clasping a sparrow.

Finally, the last room is particularly disconcerting. Set within a circular structure, the interior of which is lined with mirrors, three children - two standing and one seated - hold out their hands while a virtual reality mask conceals their view. As these three characters discover a virtual universe, we are invited to observe them without knowing what they are seeing virtually.

This is a fine exhibition that prompts us to reflect on the technologies that surround us, and on art in general. Discover it for free at Galerie Perrotin until November 18, 2023.