07 October 2015 -
11 June 2016

Ring

Arnaud Lapierre

Ring

We invite you to discover Ring by Arnaud Lapierre, a mirrored multiplier of urban aesthetics at the heart of the Hôtel de Gallifet. The optical effect created by this installation offers us a new perspective on the heritage of the Mazarin quarter.

Ring is an artwork which makes use of the structure provided by the external space by playing with its rhythm, its flow and its hierarchy. Reflecting an image while camouflaging itself, the installation reconfigures the entire organisation of space itself through the creation of an optical illusion. The principle is very simple: the repetition of a cubic mirror that disrupts our perception of our surroundings.

On first approaching Ring, the effect is that of an upheaval in the relationships between individuals and the space they cross. The faces of each cube reflect the image of a section of the surrounding space in a disordered way and, together, come to reconstruct a false image which, although blending discreetly with its environment, cannot fail to astonish. Ring forces us to concentrate on untangling this new chaotic image and attempt to understand the deception. Faced with this work, it becomes difficult to distinguish between image and substance, between the real and the false.

It is upon entering Ring that we discover our own image, fragmented and infinitely multiplied, which clashes with the details of our environment and becomes a small component of a larger puzzle. The installation transforms into an immersive space, out of time and outside of everyday spatiality, in a complete rupture with the principles of its exterior. Ring offers the viewer the experience of a visual fragmentation on a personal, bodily scale.

Ring was awarded Best Installation by WallPaper in 2012, and has been exhibited in many contemporary art forums, such as FIAC Paris, Art Basel, Brussel Art, and MOCAD Shanghai.