Etienne Clément - Wendy’s World
An exhibition of photographs
7 September 2007 – 14 October, 2007
Private View : Thursday 6 September 2007, 6 – 9pm
Aging toys, made redundant by the modern world, are resurrected in Etienne Clément’s photographs. Dilapidated buildings become arenas where sinister narratives are born and the toys’ roles going beyond the childlike, to darker, mischievous and melancholic places.
Through his series Wendy’s World, the artist visits derelict areas, charged with social and political histories, and uses his resulting photographs as backdrops for intricately constructed stage sets. He employs miniature toys to create surreal and poignant scenarios. Wendy, the watcher in each photograph, is the artist’s alter ego, fascinated by the beauty and horror of the world, as if seen through the eyes of a child.
Clément’s photographs displace the viewer, disrupting their perception of ‘real’ or ‘unreal’, ‘staged’ or ‘un-staged’. His theatres become a place for him to freely construct, a site for play and an area of experimentation. Manipulated and constructed images provide selective reference points to the real world, making it increasingly difficult for viewers to understand their position within that world and thus creating a displaced sense of certainty.
Since leaving his work as a respected and critically acclaimed architectural photographer (he was 2nd in the European Architectural Photographer of the Year in 1997) Clément has entered many collections including BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, The Geffrye Museum, Vivendi Universal, BnF (Bibliotèque Nationale de France), Bouygues Immobilier and The Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
His photographs have also been exhibited in the Jerwood Space, Bloomberg’s ArtFutures, the Architectural Association, the RIBA Gallery, the Geffrye Museum, London and the Palais des Congrès, Paris. In addition, he has had shows in Paris, Madrid and will shortly be exhibiting in Los Angeles.
Clément was born in Paris and lives and works in London.
For more information, interviews and images please contact David Harris on david@forstergallery.com or 020 7739 1974 .
A catalogue is available for this exhibition. For more information, interviews and images please contact David Harris on david@forstergallery.com or 020 7739 1974.
