Caroline Corbasson
Pollen, 2021
Caroline Corbasson and Andrea Montano, 15,6 . 12 in, color argentic print, unique piece
© Caroline Corbasson. Courtesy Galerie L’inlassable
Born in 1989 in Saint-Etienne, FR. Lives and works in Paris.
Presented by Aurélia Marcadier
Pollen
Caroline Corbasson’s work explores the way in which the observation of space and the improvement of astronomy tools have caused a split between the average person’s immediate perception of man’s place in the universe and that of scientists. Her drawings, sculptures and videos scrutinize this expanse, relating the infinitely large, to the depth of the infinitely small, which can be perceived thanks to scientific tools.
For several years, Caroline Corbasson has been exploring alternative photographic printing techniques such as glass printing (gelatin silver bromide) or direct carbon printing. In 2020, following a residency at the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory, the latter bequeathed a photographic archive composed of 42 glass plates and 71 silver negatives to the artist. These documents bear witness to astronomy observations carried out between 1962 and 1978. The negatives, now obsolete and scientifically unusable, had been stored in boxes for several decades. The title Pollen evokes both the place where this infinitely rich archive was stored and a double meaning: a “dark sky reserve” is an area where the night sky can be observed with the naked eye. Caroline Corbasson, in collaboration with Andrea Montano, is now working on a large-scale project to pay tribute to this archive. To revive these images of the distant sky by exploiting them in new forms, detached from any scientific requirement.
Following a period at St Martins School in London, Caroline Corbasson graduated with honors from ENSBA in Paris in 2013. Her work has been shown in France and internationally in numerous institutions such as the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle (UK), the Song-Won Art Center, Seoul (KR), the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (FR), the Crac, Sète (FR), the Panacée Moco, Montpellier (FR), or the Frac Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Marseille (FR). In 2017, with the support of the CNRS and the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, she made an experimental film at the European Southern Observatory in the Atacama Desert. In 2018, she took part in a residency at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, which resulted in a publication, a second film and an exhibition at the Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in Marseille in 2019, commonly entitled À ta recherche. Her first monographic work, sidereal, was published in 2017 by Monteverita Publishing, and her second, À ta recherche, in 2019 by Visions Particulières Press.
Galerie L’inlassable
Founded in 2012 by John Ferrère, l’inlassable gallery is a contemporary art gallery exhibiting emerging and established international artists. A loose programming policy that is closely followed by Monteverita, its sister space on Paris’ right bank.
Galerie L’inlassable, 18 rue Dauphine — 75006 Paris FR