May 18 – August 9
Nicolas Grospierre is one of the most outstanding contemporary Polish artists. He was born in Geneva in 1975, grew up in Paris and lives in Warsaw. He is primarily associated with photography, which he has been practising for twenty-five years, but his work also includes installations, objects, art books and video films. One theme that has preoccupied Grospierre since the beginning of the 21st century is the utopia of limitless growth. The illusory nature of modernist ideals is most evident in architecture and urban planning, which form a central object of Grospierre’s interest. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Golden Lion at the Architecture Biennale in Venice (together with Kobas Laksa). They resulted also in the publication series Modern Forms by Prestel Verlag and exhibitions at renowned institutions such as the Architecture Association in London.
The critique formulated by Grospierre in Photography Degrowth is not a total one, it does not concern either the destruction or abolition of capitalism. It is rather a deeper reflection, a moment of thought about where all this is leading, what needs to be changed and what can be kept because it is great and inspiring.
Each of the exhibited works relates in a subversive and non-obvious way to the idea of post-growth while circulating around architecture. In addition to works such as The Collection that Grows (2014 and on-going) and The House that Grows (2012), there will be also presented BBL Unltd (2020) and Axonocity (2018). Among the works being shown for the first time are Tetranoi (2021) and Carceri Imaginari (2022).
The Photography Degrowth exhibition presents a number of Grospierre’s iconic photographs and objects, which are complemented by new realisations premiered at the Polish Institute Düsseldorf.
Each individual exhibition by Nicolas Grospierre is an autonomous whole composed of individual elements, giving the feeling of entering another spatial and mental dimension. This feeling is not easy to put into words, but unlike the flat reproductions accompanied by press releases, it is a sensual and unique experience. This is also the case with Photography Degrowth, the presentation of photographs in a spiral that “grows back”, unfolds, collapses and meanders. Overtaking the gallery space it stunnigly fascinates like the idea of limitless progress and growth.
Adam Mazur, curator
Translated from Polish by Andrzej Koliński
Exhibition is a part of the Biennale for Visual and Sonic Media – düsseldorf photo+ .
