Raphaël Zarka
Raphael Zarka stands among a generation of artists who subtly revive the relationship between art and knowledge in their works. His sculptures manifest the results of his diverse investigative work, which allusively or subliminally influence the properties of the objects, somewhat resembling an avid collector of stories, facts and images. He creates a practical and careful approach to integrate kindred or distinct fields into his art without leaving the sculptural framework. Although the underlying cognitive sources that permeate his work are not always visible in the object itself, they form a complex and intimate reference network that is explored in the numerous writings and interviews that accompany it. The artist is known for his deep interest in skateboarding. Thus, he has devoted several works of art and three scientific essays to this particular activity. His interest, however, tends to focus on skateboarding as a model of relationships, economics, and ethics, rather than as a cultural, technical, or subject matter.
Zarka born in 1977, in Montpellier, FR lives and works in Paris, FR.
Solo exhibitions include Set for Four Players, a Sundial and a Bear, Galerie Fabian Lang, Zürich, CH, 2021; Suite Gnomonique, Le Portique - Centre régional d’art contemporain, Le Havre, France, 2020; Peter's Procescenium (w/ Christian Hidaka, cur. Mona Filip), Koffler Center of the Arts, Toronto, Canada, 2019; Gnomonica (Cur. Ioana Mandeal), MNAC – National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucarest, Romania, 2019; Spolium, (cur. Nicolas Bourriaud) Musée Henri Prades, Lattes, France, 2019; Cycloid Ramp (curateur Marc-Olivier Wahler), FIAC Projects, Paris, France, 2018; Partitions régulières, (cur. Sylvie Zavatta), FRAC Franche Comté, Besançon, France, 2018; Monte Oliveto, Michel Rein, Paris, France, 2017; Riding Modern Art, (cur. Pierre-Olivier Rollin), BPS22, Musée d'art de la Province de Hainaut, Charleroi, Belgium, 2017 ; Espai Pavimentat, (cur. Lorenza Barboni), EACC, Castellon, Spain, 2017, Aurélien Froment / Raphaël Zarka, Les Abattoirs, Toulouse, France, 2016.
