‘Uncharted’ Charles Derenne Solo Exhibition
Wonzimer Gallery 341-B S Avenue 17, Los Angeles 90031 wonzimerinfo@gmail.com
Opening: 7 pm – 10 pm / Saturday, February 17th 2024
Dates of Show: February 17 – March 15, 2024
Wonzimer Gallery is delighted to present Uncharted by Charles Derenne. The artist immerses the audience in his latest artistic exploration with a new series of jungle landscape paintings and photography collages, which serve as an invitation to explore the uncharted territories of our environmental conscience. A carefully chosen ready-made further enhances the immersive experience, prompting reflection on the delicate equilibrium between human interaction and the primal pulse of the wild.
In Derenne’s artistic pilgrimage, each stroke and snapshot is a journey into the heart of human contradiction—a juxtaposition from his recent expedition of the expanse of Mexican jungles against the vastness of a fictional Arctic void. His canvas becomes a living map, a subtle moment, embracing the emotional landscape of someone torn between the rhythms of colors and the pristine silence of made-up territories. In the dance between the forest’s embrace and the solitude of his studio amongst the city’s cacophony. Derenne’s practice transcends medium, weaving an intricate narrative of the ever-elusive quest for a sanctuary, be it within the dense foliage or the silence of contemplation.
In Derenne’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, the new delicate painting series dances between the meticulous strokes of the Realists and the vivid juxtaposition of the palette of the Impressionists. As Derenne navigates between techniques, on the intersection of painting and photography, mirroring the sentiment of 19th-century painters grappling with the emergence of photography. The large pieces of paper with their rough aperture, reveal a darker world of black and white vandalized plants, mimicking the duality of human morality and action. A vending machine sits in the middle of the exhibition like a church in the middle of a village, offering the viewer the possibility of acquiring ephemeral lands in the form of polaroids. In this intricate dialogue between mediums, Derenne invites us to witness the marriage of two worlds and ponder the profound implications of their entwined existence.
“Uncharted” is a poetic invocation, a reminder of the fragility of the human mind. In this title, Derenne encapsulates the physical landscapes and the fragmentations within ourselves. Amidst these frozen and lush landscapes, the exhibition delves into the dimensions of our need to isolate and disconnect from the dissonance of daily existence. Derenne’s work becomes a mirror reflecting the desire to reevaluate, to discern what truly matters in the quietude of self-imposed seclusion. The title becomes a compass, inviting us into the heart of fictional geographical frontiers and existentialist thoughts.
7:30 pm February 28th, 2024
On the occasion of the release of the documentary 24 Hour Sunset on Canal +, co-directed by Charles Derenne and Edouard de Luze, and co-produced by Scottish artist Douglas Gordon, the documentary will be screened on February 28th, 2024 at 7:30 pm. Derenne will introduce the documentary about the L.A. art scene through contemplative shots of intimate conversations between artists, gallery owners, and collectors such as Kenneth Anger, Paul McCarthy, Ariana Papademetropoulos, Raymond Pettibon, Jill Mulleady, Henry Taylor, Louise Bonnet, Jeffrey Deitch, and others. The screening will be followed by a Q&A.
Charles Derenne ( Born in Paris in 1982) studied Fine Arts in Bordeaux, Music at Bordeaux Conservatory, and Modern Literature at the Sorbonne. The artist has presented and performed at Moma PS1, The New Museum, The Beyeler Foundation, the Palais de Tokyo, MAK Vienna, Lafayette Anticipation, Mana Fine Arts, The Yvon Lambert Library, and the Agnes B. Gallery. Derenne lives and works in Los Angeles
