Jessica Warboys

The 17th-century chapel of Paris’ Fine Arts academy hosts an exhibition by British artist Jessica Warboys, exploring the overlap between man-made culture and nature. This Tail Grows Among Ruins (2023) presents a multi-channel video and sound installation, alongside Sea River O (2023) a collage of large-scale unstretched paintings. The installation Sea River O collages Sea Painting (2009-ongoing) and River Painting (2019-ongoing). Both ‘Sea’ and ‘River’ paintings are made below the high-water line, at the sea or the river’s edge. After immersion, the sodden canvases are pulled from the sea or river and stretched out onto the beach or riverbank, accordingly. The artist scatters mineral pigments – these colors are in part directed by hand, wind, sand, folds, and painted gestures in beeswax. The soundtrack for the installation incorporates ultrasound recordings of bats and original compositions by Morten Norbye Halvorsen. As bat calls resonate, the video follows the metamorphic journey of a candle through shifting contexts: an ancient forest, a 17th-century convent, a gilded library, rivers, and seas. Together, the paintings, video, and sound crystallize thoughts circling bodies – whether they be bodies of water, humans, or animals – and their potential for transformation. The project is presented by Gaudel de Stampa (Paris).

Visit

14 rue Bonaparte, Chapelle des Petits-Augustins

Paris, NY