14/11/2013
Geraud Soulhiol
22,48 m2, Paris
In reference to Raymond Roussel's homonymous poem, where the author, discovering a beach scene inside his penholder's crystal ball, describes the unfolding scenes and gives free rein to his imagination, "La Vue" presents a diverse selection of Geraud Soulhiol's works.
Suspending the writing process in order see better: it's a moment like this that seems to constitute
the poem "La Vue" by Raymond Roussel, which describes an "overall" scenery as it comes to life
through the writer's gaze into the crystal ball of his penholder. The process of freeing oneself from
the usual limits of perception in order to enter the loopholes of a dreamscape allow for a "view"
that appears to be ideal for any creative production, in particular for the French artist Géraud
Soulhiol, who creates, based on that very poem, a diverse range of works. Through various media
(drawings, photomontage, video installations) and materials, they draw a coherent plastic constel-
lation of the artist's recent research around the question of the representation of "fantasy worlds"
and "floating universes", two themes that constitute the framework of the exhibition.
The first theme initiates a meditation on the possibility of turning a particular experience of current
images like Google Earth's areal views of the earth with its territories and landscapes into a
daydream that yearns to be grounded in the heart of the experience itself: Survol 1 (Flyover 1,
Eiffel area) or else Territoire des stades (Stadium land) exhibit the proliferation of modern architec-
tural forms to the point of creating fantasy zones, while Le hublot 1 (Porthole 1) offers a view that
drifts onto the digitized world of Google Earth and presents it as a cruise across the sky.
As illusory spaces eager to crystallize and take on life, Soulhiol's "floating universes" constitute the
second theme of his artistic practice and approach the above mentioned passage in the opposite
direction. Torn from their concrete and real referents, Bosquet 5 (Grove 5, diptych) or Grandes
Montagnes Russes (Large Roller Coaster) still aspire to an ordered unit that endows them with a
discreet virtuality. This dislocation between the real and the imaginary is even more emphasized in
the series La Vue (The view) where saucers, like focal points, provide the background for an
expansive imagination: coffee is turned to ink through the artist's pen as it looks for the right
arrangement for abstract and concrete motifs, eager to thwart any familiarities.
Always at the brink of a certain intelligibility and opaqueness, Géraud Soulhiol's different "visions"
aim to bring the viewer's gaze into a vague and unspecified zone that feeds on the continuous
exchange between an eye accustomed to certain forms, and the specific attention demanded by
the details that dislocate the "view". (Umut Ungan, translation by FRANK’S)
Opening 15th November 2013, 6 pm - 10 pm
22,48 m2
30 rue des Envierges, Paris
Hours: wednesday - saturday 2-7pm, or by appointment
Free Admission