Galerie Paris-Beijing is pleased to show for the first time in France the work of the Australian artist Alex Seton.
Australian artist Alex Seton investigates the complex relationship between form and substance through different artistic practices such as photography, video, sculpture and installation. He is best known for his beguiling marble carving to which he applies his refined craftsmanship in order to create unexpected and light forms, ordinary and yet highly symbolic. By infusing the rich heritage of Classical statuary with contemporary concerns, Seton gives weight to the issues we face here and now.
Galerie Paris-Beijing is delighted to present The Journey, his most recent and unseen project, which explores the international issue of asylum seekers. This new body of works incorporates installations and Carrara marble sculptures alluding to the perilous sea jour- ney of millions of people fleeing war and famine.
A boat motor, a rubber dinghy, a life jacket, a paddle or an anchor become potent remin- ders of all those individual lives being risked everyday in the hope of a better tomorrow.
The Journey unpicks the universal elements of the story of aspiration employing narrative techniques. The idea of the quest or journey has long been embodied in the structure of storytelling traditions, as basic and fundamental themes that express the commonality of the human experience. At the heart of metaphor of the hero's journey are a series of trials and tribulations that must be endured to reach an end goal. This exhibition is a critical contemplation of this universal narrative, expressed in a carefully staged sequence of carved marble sculptures and installations.
Alex Seton’s scenography leads the viewer through the spaces of Galerie Paris-Beijing in a metaphoric “Odyssey” of human pains and hopes.
