TEMPLON, Paris-Bruxelles-New York
Michael Ray Charles , Etats-Unis
"Afrochemistry"
Michael Ray Charles (Forever Free) Head 4, 2005 Latex acrylique et penny de cuivre sur toile 226 × 150 cm — 89 × 59 in. Photographie : Remei Giralt Courtesy TEMPLON, Paris-Bruxelles-New York
This spring, Galerie Templon is presenting the third solo exhibition of work by African American artist Michael Ray Charles with the invaluable help of the exhibition’s curator, Hedwig Van Impe. “Afrochemistry” features a series of five large canvases and twelve small red nose portraits on cardboard centring on the representation of black identity.
Since the 1990s, Michael Ray Charles has become a widely recognised artist with a pioneering approach to investigating African-American questions. He draws on his inexhaustible fund of energy and capacity to transcend linguistic, cultural and geographic boundaries to create visual archives that stand as a personal chronicle of an African-American history rooted in both terror and light, freedom and slavery, racism and humanity, guilt and responsibility.
With Afrochemistry, Charles delicately juggles between idea and image to explore the way African-Americans are represented physically and the resulting moral prejudices. The figures depicted in close-up radiate a feeling of depth and truth that has the disconcertingly powerful effect of questioning our perceptions and emotional connection with others. The features Charles gives the faces, as expressive as they are static, not only offer an examination of sensitive social issues but also serve as a catalyst for social change in modern-day America.
Solo show of Michael Ray Charles
From April 30th to July 26th, 2024
The gallery
Daniel Templon founded the gallery in 1966 in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. The gallery quickly moved to Le Marais in 1972. Initially, the gallery gained recognition for its program focusing on conceptual and minimal art. Many artists, now part of art history, exhibited within the gallery's walls.
Today, the gallery represents around thirty international artists. Its program aims to promote dialogue between different generations: established artists of "classic" contemporary art, mid-career international artists, and emerging young artists' experiences.
The gallery actively collaborates with museums and institutions to develop exhibitions and publications. It maintains a significant policy of artwork production and regularly publishes catalogs on its exhibitions. The gallery has three exhibition spaces: two in Paris and one gallery in Brussels.
Gallery artists
Franz Ackermann, Valerio Adami, Jean-Michel Alberola, He An, Arman, Omar Ba, Ben, Abdelkader Benchamma, Norbert Bisky, Anthony Caro, James Casebere, Francesco Clemente, Philippe Cognée, Will Cotton, Gregory Crewdson, Daniel Dezeuze, Alioune Diagne, Jim Dine, Atul Dodiya, Anju Dodiya, Ed & Nancy Kienholz, Jan Fabre, Gérard Garouste, Orsten Groom, Oda Jaune,Jitish Kallat, Clay Ketter, Robin Kid, David Lachapelle, Ulrich Lamsfuss Léonard Martin, Jonathan Meese, Michael Ray Charles, Iván Navarro, Prune Nourry, Jules Olitski, Philip Pearlstein, Pierre Et Gilles, Antoine Roegiers, François Rouan, Julião Sarmento, George Segal, Sudarshan Shetty, Chiharu Shiota, Jan Van Imschoot, Claude Viallat, Jeanne Vicerial, Kehinde Wiley, René Wirths, Billie Zangewa
