Show dates: February 24–March 30, 2024
39 West 14th, #308, New York
"Undawn" marks Jimmy Beauquesne’s first New York solo show made in collaboration with Florian Buffard, Juliette Jaffeux, and Vincent Caroff.
On this occasion, he invites viewers on a journey into an apocalyptic and philosophical tale unfolding within the confines of the Fragment Gallery. His intricate drawings and installations are accompanied by contributions from three artists and a neuroscientist.
Viewed as the title of a science fiction novel, each presented piece could serve as a chapter in a dystopian narrative. In this world gripped by a phantasmagorical phenomenon, humanity undergoes a transformation into a specific species of Pokémon: Sylveon. Yet, five entities remain unaltered—a knight, two padlocks, an elderly man, and a pair of hands.
Jimmy Beauquesne's drawings, coupled with a video by Juliette Jaffeux and Vincent Caroff, vividly illustrate the scenario in a sequential manner. Florian Buffard's sculpted creatures both adorn and infest the exhibition space, while the central "Kiosk" stands as a relic, the solitary witness to unfolding events. The artist draws inspiration from religious structures, employing their narrative spatialization tactics, creating an intertwining of fiction and exhibition space that beckons the viewer into an immersive experience.
In contrast to a fragmented narrative, the artist embraces a desire for a linear and illustrative approach—a quest to intimately connect with the characters' emotions, making their crises understandable, permeable, and, perhaps, eliciting a response from the viewer. The five characters symbolize, each in their unique way, five approaches to navigating the end of the world. Whether it's resistance to change or its embrace, loss of faith or its emergence—the different voices in this exhibition complement and grapple with their archetypal narratives.
The exhibition kicked off on February 23 with a lecture by Beth Fisher, a researcher in neurosciences, who delved into our relationship with optimism while drawing parallels between her research and the characters of "Undawn".
Jimmy Beauquesne (b. 1991, France) is a graduate of ENSAAMA in Paris and the École supérieure d’art de Clermont Métropole (DNSEP, 2017). Currently based in Ivry-Sur-Seine, he channels his creativity into a diverse artistic practice that merges drawing and installation. His work seamlessly combines elements from intimate spaces, mass culture, ornamentation, and science fiction.
Beauquesne's art has been featured in prominent group exhibitions, including those at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2019, 2023), Fragment Gallery (2021, 2022), Magasins Généraux in Pantin (2019), MAMC in Saint-Etienne (Biennale Art Press, 2020), La Box in Bourges (2020), Ygrec – Ensapc in Aubervilliers (2020), and the Institut d’Art Contemporain in Villeurbanne (2022). He has been nominated for the Prix Dauphine (2019) and the Prix Sciences Po (2020).
