Valentin Carron, 'La Main', 2006, wood, reinforcing steel, acrylic resin, paint, (c) the artist. courtesy Galerie Eve Presenhuber, Zurich

 
VALENTIN CARRON / DÉCHÉANCE, ÉLÉGANCE, DÉHANCHEMENT
[Decline, Elegance, Sway]
in the lounge: FABIAN MARTI
in the library: ALEX HUBBARD
opening reception: Tues April 4 / 6 – 8 pm

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The SWISS INSTITUTE – CONTEMPORARY ART (S I) is pleased to present DÉCHÉANCE, ÉLÉGANCE, DÉHANCHEMENT, the first New York solo show of young Swiss artist, VALENTIN CARRON. Using diverse sculptural and structural forms as source material, Carron wrestles with the iconography of comfortable bourgeois art and society. As Carron’s sculptures aggressively confront each other - rendered in a manner ironically faithful to their sources - monument and history are mocked, creating a sardonic commentary on the collectively imagined mythology of Switzerland. Rough-hewn supports for a rustic Swiss chalet, installed on the white walls of the S I gallery, set the stage for a destabilizing mix of Carron’s work. Military canons and the tenuous figures of Giacometti are reproduced life-sized, copied in industrial materials. As the work vacillates between solemn and matter-of-fact to brutal and irreverent, the gallery is completed by the offer of some unusual treats as well as an unorthodox tour guide around the show.

Carron’s recent exhibitions include a recent solo show at Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich, and two-person shows with Mai-Thu Perret at The Chisenhale, London and Centre d’Art Contemporaine, Geneva. Upcoming projects include Art Unlimited at ArtBasel, 2006.

In the lounge, the S I is pleased to present the work of young Swiss photographer, FABIAN MARTI. Riffing off Carron’s subtle ironies and critiques through his epic statues, Marti picks on the genre of vanitas. Mortality and desire, at once richly depicted in Marti’s project, are mocked as the iconography du jour is repeated and degraded through his play with mass replication.

In the library, the S I presents the video piece, Meth Labs, by New York-based artist ALEX HUBBARD. With a dry and exhaustive approach, Hubbard brings an absurd meticulousness to his video documentary as he reports on classifications of the U.S.’s Methamphetamine laboratories.