Pierrick Sorin

In the exhibition Pierrick Sorin. Faire bonne(s) figure(s), international artist Pierrick Sorin presents a selection of old and recent works, while also making way for a new creation designed specifically for the Patio space.

Pierrick Sorin was born in Nantes in 1960 and graduated from the École des Beaux-arts in 1988. From the 1990s onwards, he asserted his mode of expression through video art. An adept at self-filming, he created playlets, humorously staging himself in makeshift sets of real and fictitious objects.
Over the years, his work has taken on a variety of forms: short films, visual installations and holographic effects, also known as optical theater. Since 2006, Pierrick Sorin has also designed or co-designed stage sets and stagings, in particular for operas.

For the exhibition Pierrick Sorin. Faire bonne(s) figure(s), more than twenty works, both older and more recent creations, punctuate the exhibition itinerary and show the different facets of his work. A common thread links them all: the recurring physical presence of the artist, who takes on every role. With humor and derision, Pierrick Sorin inhabits all the characters in his work, rather awkward, uncomfortable or timid beings whose gestures evoke the world of burlesque cinema. The poetry of illusion, in the tradition of Georges Méliès and Jacques Tati, questions with gentle irony the process of constructing images and their validity. Faced with the complexity of the world, Pierrick Sorin veers towards a world of the absurd, both serious and funny, comically questioning both the foundations of an artistic approach and the human condition. An intimate, comical work that shakes up our perceptions.

The exhibition unfolds in two spaces:

Le Patio

The tour, conceived by the artist with curator Katell Jaffrès, revolves around the work Peindre et nettoyer, ou la volonté à l'œuvre, created for the exhibition and presented in the center of the Patio. This original installation shows a man, a tile washer, experimenting with painting on windows materialized by translucent video screens. The work is a way of expressing the artist's offbeat view of the everyday and the utilitarian. In this way, the mundane act of cleaning becomes the substrate for an artistic experience that questions not only the artist himself, but also visitors to the exhibition.
All around, large-scale installations are displayed, while others, such as optical theaters, can be found in the peripheral galleries. Another space brings together smaller-scale works, suggesting the domestic atmosphere of a living room.

The Oratory Chapel

In the Chapelle de l'Oratoire, Pierrick Sorin reconfigures the installation Le Balai mécanique, a tribute to Fernand Léger and his 1924 film Ballet mécanique, recently presented at the Musée national Fernand Léger in Biot.

Pierrick Sorin's work has been shown in France and abroad, gaining recognition since the early 1990s through solo and group exhibitions.

Born in 1960, Pierrick Sorin is a video artist, set designer and stage director. He established himself in the field of video art in the 1990s. Over the years, his work has taken a variety of forms: short films, visual installations and holographic devices. He has also signed or co-signed set designs and stage productions, particularly for opera.

After graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts de Nantes in 1988, he began making his first self-films: stories that he stages by filming himself in burlesque mode. In making these short playlets, Pierrick Sorin looks at his everyday life, as well as contemporary creation. He invented filming devices to shoot himself on Super 8. Subsequently, the use of video enabled him to edit and embody all the protagonists.

Long before the advent of digital technologies and the democratization of means of capturing images, Pierrick Sorin was engaged in work that can be put into perspective with the much more recent practice of the selfie. In certain installations, the public becomes a participant. Produced live, these works open up a space for reflection in which visitors are encouraged to question their place and role. In 1995, he created his first installation with a holographic effect, revealing a filmed character evolving in a real setting. Following in the footsteps of film director Georges Méliès, the artist affirms his taste for the poetry of illusion and the magic of images.

Since 2006, he has staged a number of operas based on the use of video and live visual effects. For him, the stage is a space for real-time cinematographic creation. He is also the author of a play entitled 22h13, premiered in 2009. Pierrick Sorin has created numerous commissioned works for institutions and companies. He regularly collaborates with artists, particularly in the world of music. In Nantes, in 2010, Le Lieu Unique and Galerie Mélanie Rio jointly presented an exhibition entitled Rétrospective / Prospective! looking back at his work since the late 1980s. In 2019, various optical theaters were presented during the Voyage à Nantes. For its 2024 edition, Pierrick Sorin is invited to open the doors of his studio.

At the heart of the exhibition with Pierrick Sorin and Katell Jaffrès

Katell Jaffrès, exhibition curator, and Pierrick Sorin himself take you on a 2-minute tour of the exhibition.

Pierrick Sorin and you

We heard what you had to say about the Pierrick Sorin exhibition, the central work, the optical theaters and the exit from the Chapelle de l'Oratoire... And what are your impressions?

Pierrick Sorin: from idea to work

How do artists create their work? Where do inspiration and ideas come from? How do they project themselves into exhibition spaces? What techniques and materials do they use in their designs?

With the 4-part video series Pierrick Sorin : de l'idée à l'œuvre, take a behind-the-scenes look at how he created the work Peindre et nettoyer, ou la volonté à l'œuvre.

Episode 1: The idea

Episode 2: Design

Episode 3: The workshop

Episode 4: Making it happen