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Do you remember SHOBOSHOBO’s giants that took over ATOPOS Contemporary Visual Culture’s (ATOPOS CVC) building, at 72 Salaminos street during the exhibition ‘ZZZzzzZZZZ in ATOPOS’ at the end of 2010? Well, they are on the road again, and they are marching towards Paris! They are going to occupy La Gaîté Lyrique’s building, 3 bis rue Papin, in the centre of Paris, and will remain there from 7th until 31st of December 2011, after which who knows where a new adventure will take them.
The reason behind this journey is the exhibition ‘Post Digital Monsters’ organised byPictoplasma Berlin. ATOPOS CVC has recently collaborated with Pictoplasma for the edition ‘NOT A TOY. Fashioning Radical Characters’ (Editor Vassilis Zidianakis - ATOPOS CVC), the first in-depth research worldwide on Radical Character Design in fashion and costume.
The exhibition ‘Post Digital Monsters’, organised on the occasion of Pictoplasma Festival, presents international contemporary artists like Shoboshobo, Ben & Julia, FriendsWithYou, Hyein Lee, Jordan Metcalf, Juan Pablo Cambariere, Nick Cave, Nick Sheehy, Nina Braun, Overture Raymond Lemstra, Rina Donnersmarck, Roman Klonek and Sarah Illenberger amongst others. The exhibition explores the idea of a haptic transfiguration of digitally inspired images using digital and traditional media for the creation of new monstrous characters. Monstrous, because the digital era has broken new ground in terms of virtual reality, creating worlds where characters and humans coexist.
Parallel to the Pictoplasma Festival, from December 6th to 10th a tour titled the ‘Character Walk’, through numerous galleries and project spaces will make the vibrant character art scene of Paris visible. One of SHOBOSHOBO’s giants had a fight with the others, and will not be at La Gaîté Lyrique’s space, but will install himself alone at the Galerie Jean-Marc Thevenet (32, rue de Montmorency), where SHOBOSHOBO will also be presenting a series of drawings.
La Gaîté Lyrique first introduced to the Parisian public in July 2008 and has established itself ever since as one of the most alternative meeting points between arts and audience, attracting especially young public. This avant garde space explores all forms of digital culture, as well as the relation between arts and new technologies through its activities and exhibitions. La Gaîté Lyrique adopts an inter-disciplinary approach to all these creative fields, helping to foster connections and relationships between them.
Mehdi Hercberg, alias SHOBOSHOBO, is a prolific artist, illustrator and musician from Paris. SHOBOSHOBO expresses himself through performance, music, drawing, installation, zines and fashion. He has participated in numerous international festivals and has presented his creations in various alternative spaces in Europe as well as in Argentina, USA and Japan and in museums and art foundations like Fondation Cartier pour l’ art contemporain, Paris. In Athens, he presented a series of site-specific installations and drawings at the ‘ZZZzzzzZZZ in ATOPOS’ exhibition, then at the ‘ARRRGH! Monsters in Fashion’ exhibition, organised by ATOPOS CVC at the Benaki Museum and finally at the ‘ZZZzzzzZZZ in Citrus’ exhibition on Chios island. In Paris, he teaches graphic design at École Estienne.
Starting at the turn of the century, Pictoplasma, formed by Peter Thaler and Lars Denicke, has established itself as the world’s first and leading platform with a unique focus on contemporary character culture across all forms and media, from design and animation all the way to fine art installations. Apart from organising annual conferences and festivals (Pictoplasma Festival) or curating exhibitions on the topic, Pictoplasma is widely acclaimed for its high quality publications (Pictoplasma Publishing).
More info:
ZZZzzzZZZZ in ATOPOS
www.pictoplasma.com
www.gaite-lyrique.net
www.shoboshobo.com