Based on the memory of a nightclub and drawing on cinematographic inspiration, Bertrand Lamarche’s miniature models become monumental in the neon light of projectors. Lamarche employs phrases like “PIT OF NARCISSISM” and “SWALLOWED” to tap into the consumerist culture of language, speaking to the viewer. We are not only spoken to but also watched (in the very act of perceiving) by the projector, which reacts to presence and is sensitive to movement. As visitors slip through the space between it and the model, the colors of the images flash and change. Electric green morphs to sky blue and then to orange, in a reverberating echo that connects the viewer to the location in Larmarche’s mind’s eye.
Likewise, an ocular quality is present in Fassler’s new series “Social Orbits,” due to the circular area surrounding the Bourse de Commerce which she records. Fassler exemplifies her sensitivity to place and to temperature changes in her treatment of light, with maps ranging in color from hot afternoon white to dusky violet. For Fassler, maps are a political and social tool, telling the story of those who get included therein (and those who don’t). In her “counter mapping” process, she tries to remain open: “I go with no preconceived notions and stay as sensitive as possible to what is happening.” There are no true measurements in Fassler’s maps. Instead, she measures in footsteps and records the “individual small banal movement sitting within a much bigger system.” From the comments of strangers to the number of tents, and the pedestrian traffic flow, Fassler captures a snapshot of a place.
The two artists, now showing together at Galerie Poggi, have been close friends and aware of each other’s practices for years. Fassler and Lamarche were some of the first artists to be shown by Jerome Poggi in the early years of the gallery, which celebrates its 15th anniversary with this show on view until 26 October 2024.
