Next to Nothing

“If these objects say nothing about themselves, they have a great deal to say about ourselves.” —Raphaël Dallaporta One typically collects objects that are becoming scarce. For many years, Raphaël Dallaporta has been collecting objects that proliferate. He refers to them as “UO – Unidentified Objects”; they are not “flying,” as they are gathered from the ground in public spaces. In Paris, New York, and Lisbon, they all resemble one another and have been patiently selected for their lack of function and their unrecognizable origins. Sometimes colorful and often black, made of plastic, rubber, or metal, these simple forms are all anthropogenic: they embody human activity and constitute its remnants. They are also entropic: they seem to obey a troubling physical law, much like the “kipple” described by Philip K. Dick in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, written sixty years ago and later adapted for the screen as Blade Runner—useless debris that proliferates as soon as it is no longer attended to. In order to exhibit them for the first time, Raphaël Dallaporta brings together his collection of “Unidentified Objects,” arranging them into a network that forms a constellation of mobiles. By slowly setting into motion in the air these light objects gathered from the ground, he applies a principle that runs throughout his work, one he derives from the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) and his Latin motto: “Suspiciendo despicio, despiciendo suspicio”—“By looking up, I look down; by looking down, I look up.” This shift in perspective and values, to which the artist invites us here, is accompanied by a compelling counterpoint: each object is paired with its image, a photogram akin to its shadow. Suspended at the opposite end of the flexible rod, the image acts as a counterweight, establishing a balance that reanimates what had been cast aside. Next to Nothing is Raphaël Dallaporta’s seventh solo exhibition at Jean-Kenta Gauthier. —Jean-Kenta Gauthier, April 2026 Raphaël Dallaporta's work questions our relationship with the world. With the help of researchers in a variety of fields, the artist achieves projects that invite contemplation through photography, sculpture, installation, video and books. Often referring to thinkers from Antiquity or the Renaissance, Raphaël Dallaporta draws links between history, science and the arts, to consider the relationship between progress and our evolution. Winner of the ICP Infinity Award in 2010, the Foam Paul Huf Award in 2011 and the Niépce Award in 2019, he was a resident at the French Academy in Rome - Villa Medici in 2014-2015. Raphaël Dallaporta is the author of a number of critically acclaimed books, most of which were produced with Xavier Barral, delpire & co and GwinZegal. His work is housed in various institutional collections including those of Cnap — Centre national des arts plastiques, France, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, MEP — Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, Musée national d’art moderne — Centre Pompidou, Paris, the New York Public Library and Photo Élysée, Lausanne. Born in 1980, he lives and works in Paris.