Elizaveta Konovalova & Clémence Renaud — Cairns — 22,48 m² Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: September 10 → October 8, 2011

Cairns are man-made constructions made to serve humans by marking places that are meaningful in terms of remembrance, orientation, or victory. They are made of wood, stones and other materials found in the area and stand out as human artefacts in plain nature. One of the common traits is their usage as markers.

The exhibition lends itself to explore the idea that every-day objects may become, in the hands of artists, markers or reference points, like cairns. With two installations by Clémence Renaud and Elizaveta Konovalova, “Cairns” sets out to shift the usual function of the contemporary art gallery by showing artworks that seek to distance the scene of the exhibition itself.

The video and sound installation Productions parallels by Clémence Renaud questions our relations to place and exhibition space by creating a scene that links the external space of a forest landscape with the internal space of the gallery.
Elizabeta Konovalova’s Reaching for the moon, starting from the same space, is an installation spread out on the gallery floor where it invites visitors to contemplate each of their steps.

In view of these unlikely situations the public will find with “Cairns” an opportunity to rethink the way we read artworks, the place of the viewer, and even more, the role of the exhibition and its place.

Translation by Frank’s