Pushpamala N. "Paris Autumn"
Bose Pacia
This event has ended.
Paris Autumn, Pushpamala N.'s second solo exhibition at Bose Pacia New York, comprises both photographic-performance and video works. This film noir-themed installation has been exhibited in both Europe and Asia. The title work is a 35-minute experimental short film created from black & white still photographs that the artist took while participating in a residency program in Paris. The film runs continuously throughout the exhibition and is accompanied by additional framed photographs and elaborate installation components, including unique film posters, velvet stage curtains, and brightly colored walls. Pushpamala's work has traditionally hinged upon illustrative narratives of women's history, memory, and life in contemporary society.
Paris, the city in which the artist conceived this body of work, plays a central role in the exhibition. The winding streets and creaking stairwells inspired the artist to develop a colorful narrative about the story of Gabrielle d'Estrées, King Henri IV's beloved, who died unexpectedly at the age of 26. The stark black and white still photographs joined with a disjunctive and jarring score create an insightful contemporary take on the gothic thriller genre.
The story begins with a sighting of the ghost of Gabrielle in the mansion where Pushpamala N. lived during her residency. A glimpse into this secret past compels the artist to begin a quest, first to the Louvre where she discovers Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller. Pushpamala N. continues the investigation throughout Paris as a driven detective, creating what Bernard Zürcher, one of the film's characters, has described as "a strange map: with Haussmannian perspectives, where the Eiffel Tower and cafés follow images of urban violence." The artist's sometimes ironic and always entertaining journey through Paris unveils a charming and inventive mystery. The photographs, film, and installation in the exhibition create an intuitively cinematic mise–en–scène within the gallery.
[Image: Pushpamala N. "The Fortune Teller (after Caravaggio)" (2006) silver gelatin black-and-white photograph on archival fiber paper
edition of 10 30 x 40 in.]
Media
Schedule
from September 12, 2008 to October 25, 2008
Opening Reception on 2008-09-12 from 18:00 to 20:00