In his 28 years, Julian Charrière has achieved more than most artists can hope to in a lifetime. Namely, winning Switzerland’s most prestigious art prize twice, presenting a major outdoor exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and creating work for the Venice Biennale. Next up on the Swiss-born artist’s agenda is his first UK solo show at the Parasol Unit, ’For They That Sow the Wind’.
Based in Berlin, where he trained at Olafur Eliasson’s Institute of Spatial Experiments, Charrière’s work has seen him travel to some of the most remote corners of the planet to gather inspiration and materials for his poetic works, that explore themes of time, the continuous cycle of past, present and future, ecology and human intervention.
Take for instance his photographic series Blue Fossil Entropic Stories, where we find Charrière in the Arctic Ocean atop a vast iceberg where, for eight hours, he unsuccessfully tried to sculpt its surface with a blow torch. Or Tropisme, an ode to the Cretaceous period, where a collection of orchids and cactuses known to have existed during this geological period have been shock frozen in liquid nitrogen and sealed in a refrigerated sealed glass vitrine.
As well as these celebrated works, the show at Parasol Unit, curated by its founder/director Ziba Ardalan, is set to include some new site-specific pieces. Visitors to the exhibition can also enjoy a full-colour publication that includes two insightful essays, one by contemporary philosopher Timothy Morton and the other by Ardalan herself, along with an interview with the artist.
Included in the show are works such as We Are All Astronauts, in which a series of 13 world globes are strung up above a table and carefully sanded to eliminate their geopolitical contours and territories. The dust gathered below creates a new and undefined landscape of its own. Pictured: We Are All Astronauts, 2013
In the photographic series Blue Fossil Entropic Stories, we find Charrière in the Arctic Ocean atop a vast iceberg where, for eight hours, he unsuccessfully tried to sculpt its surface with a blow torch. Pictured: The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories (1), 2013
Tropisme is Charrière’s ode to the Cretaceous period, where a collection of orchids and cactuses known to have existed during this geological period have been shock frozen in liquid nitrogen and sealed in a refrigerated sealed glass vitrine. Pictured: Tropisme, 2015
In Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did, structures made from small plaster, fructose and lactose bricks are moistened with water from major international rivers and displayed in glass cases. Over time, their surfaces begin to gradually decompose. Pictured: Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did, 2013
Columns were made using a large configuration of thick salt bricks extracted from the Salar de Uyuni salt deposits in Bolivia, South America; a region now commonly referred to as the ’lithium triangle’. Pictured: Future Fossil Spaces, 2014
INFORMATION
’Julian Charrière: For They That Sow the Wind’ is on view from 15 January–23 March 2016. For more information visit Parasol Unit’s website
ADDRESS
Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art
14 Wharf Road
London, N1 7RW
-
What does a Renzo Piano-designed handbag look like? Max Mara’s ‘Whitney’ has the answerIn 2015, Max Mara launched the ‘Whitney’ bag, made in collaboration with Renzo Piano Building Workshop to celebrate the opening of New York’s Whitney Museum. Now, a series of reissues celebrate ten years of the institution
-
You can now stay at this iconic modernist house in Palm DesertThe Desert Wave, a modernist revival project by Stayner Architects, with interiors by Design Within Reach and Paul Smith, is available to book
-
In Quintana Roo, a park mesmerises with its geometric pavilionA Mexican events venue in the state of Quintana Roo rings the changes with a year-round pavilion that fosters a strong connection between its users and nature
-
Thrilling, demanding, grotesque and theatrical: what to see at Berlin Gallery WeekendBerlin Gallery Weekend is back for 2025, and with over 50 galleries taking part, there's lots to see
-
Olafur Eliasson's new light sculptures illuminate Los AngelesOlafur Eliasson's new exhibition, 'Open,' at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, includes 11 new pieces
-
WeTransfer announces Olafur Eliasson as its new annual guest curatorArtist Olafur Eliasson becomes the latest guest curator for WeTransfer’s WePresent creative portal
-
Olafur Eliasson inaugurates Azabudai Hills Gallery in TokyoOlafur Eliasson marks launch of Azabudai Hills Gallery, in Tokyo’s major new district, with a show of elemental strength
-
Olafur Eliasson saturates Palazzo Strozzi in VR, illusion and Renaissance rationalityIn ‘Nel Tuo Tempo’, a major show at Florence’s Palazzo Strozzi, Olafur Eliasson bends perceptions of Renaissance architecture through dazzling site-specific installations
-
Culture, creativity and concrete in ReykjavíkPerfectly located between North America and Europe, Reykjavík has become a cultural pitstop for collectors, attracted by the Icelandic capital's vibrant art scene, emerging gallery spaces, and striking architecture
-
Olafur Eliasson’s AR app sees kids speak up for the planetThe Danish-Icelandic artist’s augmented reality Earth Speakr initiative puts children at the core of the climate change discourse
-
Olafur Eliasson’s climate-centric show takes Tate by stormThe Danish-Icelandic artist’s summerlong Tate Modern takeover begins with far-reaching retrospective and Terrace Bar treats
