Frank Perrin
Into the West – A Las Vegas Archeology
April 15 – May 27, 2017
Into the West: A Las Vegas Archeology, New Mexico, conceived and produced here in Las Vegas, New Mexico by French artist Frank Perrin during his recent two week residency at Mayeur Projects.
Perrin arrived here for the first time in Las Vegas to experience the visceral presence of the archetypal southwestern landscape and explore the relationship of cinematic western mythologies with contemporary realities.
Perrin is the stranger who rides into town, seeking something hidden, and proceeds, in short order, to reorder reality, slightly. That slight reordering of reality sets into motion a butterfly effect. Perrin, the astutely observant outsider records moments of lucidity that transcend the time embodied in stratified landscapes and flaming detritus of abandoned dreams.
Experience Mr. Perrin’s artistic response to the Las Vegas, New Mexico region at the Mayeur Projects gallery on the Las Vegas Plaza, located in the recently restored E. Romero building—arguably one of the most significant historic buildings in New Mexico.
In addition to Perrin’s large photographs, this special showing includes the his neon work, Wind, Dust, Fire, and his compelling projected piece, Local Fires. This special event will be accompanied by a talk that delves more deeply into Perrin’s concepts, process and the development of Into the West: A Las Vegas Archeology, New Mexico.
About Frank Perrin:
Frank Perrin, French philosopher, art critic and artist based in Paris, has spent the last ten years exploring the notion of Postcapitalism, compiling a compendium of our contemporary obsessions. Postcapitalism is a metaphysical flipbook of the fundamental ideas of our era, where each photograph becomes a new landscape of the unconscious desires of yesterday and today.
Prior to Into the West: A Las Vegas Archeology, New Mexico, Mr. Perrin’s explorations of Postcapitalism include the conceptual photographic series, JOGGERS, DÉFILÉS and STREETS as well as his haunting series ARCHEOLOGY, photographs of Rome’s Cinecitta, once home to the most significant of Frederico Fellini’s sets.
Perrin is also known for his performance piece Into Donald Trump’s Head, produced for the Biennial, Manifesta 11 at Spiegelzasse 1, (the historic site of Hugo Ball’s Caberet Voltaire) in Zurich, Switzerland. This performance included, among other things, dancing cheerleaders using knives to carve into 3D representations of Donald Trump’s head, made from cake. They then served up his head on plates and let the participants… eat cake. This piece was conceived and performed prior to Donald Trump being elected as the President of the United States. (In addition to the evoking the ghost of Marie Antoinnette, Perrin’s performance vividly brings to mind the Uffizi’s 1620 painting, Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi).
Perrin is also the Founder and Editor-and-Chief of the fashion / art / design magazine, Crash.
Significant exhibitions have included those at the Daelim Musem, Seoul, Korea, at Contemporary Art Museum les abattoirs Toulouse, and recently new works at Centre Pompidou Metz and Shirn Kunsthalle Francfort.
