Esther Schipper
Martin Boyce , Scotland
"Unhome"
View of Martin Boyce’s Studio / Vue du studio de Martin Boyce, 2025. Courtesy the artist and / Courtoisie de l'artiste et Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul Photo © Martin Boyce Studio
Unhome by Scottish artist Martin Boyce (b. 1967) marks the artist’s second solo show with the Esther Schipper gallery, and his first presentation in our Parisian space. This exhibition introduces uncertainty into the perception of intimacy and domestic space. In our Place Vendôme gallery, Martin Boyce will unveil, among other works, a new photographic series and a monumental sculpture in steel and hand-blown glass. These new works are part of a scenography that evokes both decay and renovation, as a reflection on the passage of time.
Martin Boyce reinterprets and redefines emblematic objects from the history of design, developing his own visual language. This language is based on both a formal and conceptual reading of design, architecture and urbanism. In a gesture of homage, deconstruction and perpetual reinvention, Boyce has, for example, assembled reinterpreted versions of Charles and Ray Eames’ storage furniture (1949), or created mobiles from fragments of Arne Jacobsen’s chair (1955). Since 2005, elements inspired by the concrete trees designed by Jan and Joel Martel for Robert Mallet-Stevens’s transportation pavilion at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes have occupied a central place in the artist’s formal vocabulary. The recurrent use of unexpected elements, such as sections of rusted wire mesh or suspended metal chains, diverted from their original function, creates sculptures with a singular, almost supernatural effect.
While Boyce’s work draws on both modernist and classical sources, it is also inspired by everyday urban objects such as fences, garbage cans and telephone booths. Transformed by the artist’s singular vision of design history, these elements, while remaining close to utilitarian objects, generate landscapes embedded in visual poetry. Like silent witnesses to past urban programs, these objects also draw on the formal vocabulary of contemporary urbanism, adding an unexpected touch of tenderness and beauty.
Solo show of Martin Boyce
From May 23rd to July 26th, 2025
The gallery
Specializing in contemporary art and representing over 48 artists and estates, Esther Schipper has a presence in Berlin, Paris, and Seoul. With over thirty years of organizing exhibitions, Esther Schipper is recognized for providing artists with a platform to present projects that explore new territories, initiate major conceptual departures, and give rise to new bodies of work. Building on a pioneering program, the gallery initially focused on providing institutional support and exploring markets for radically experimental and ephemeral works. Today, Esther Schipper represents international artists from various generations, working in a variety of mediums. Its program includes both established artists and emerging talents.
Gallery artists
Rosa Barba, The Estate of Stefan Bertalan, Julius von Bismarck, Martin Boyce, Matti Braun, AA Bronson, Sarah Buckner, Angela Bulloch, Nathan Carter, Etienne Chambaud, David Claerbout, Thomas Demand, Jean-Pascal Flavien, Ceal Floyer, Simon Fujiwara, Ryan Gander, General Idea, Liam Gillick, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Andrew Grassie, Grönlund-Nisunen, Martin Honert, Pierre Huyghe, Karolina Jabłońska, Ann Veronica Janssens, Hyunsun Jeon, Christoph Keller, Annette Kelm, Tomasz Kręcicki, Gabriel Kuri, Jac Leirner, Liu Ye, Isa Melsheimer, Prabhavathi Meppayil, Ari Benjamin Meyers, Roman Ondak, Philippe Parreno, Sojourner Truth arsons, Thomias Radin, Ugo Rondinone, Christopher Roth, Cemile Sahin, Anri Sala, Karin Sander, Julia Scher, Tino Sehgal, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Hito Steyerl, Sun Yitian, Tao Hui, Anicka Yi
