uoel
Gyan Panchal recovers his materials in the manner of Arte Povera artists, using factories, building sites, and nature as his main sources. The materials he collects then undergo a form of recycling in which the artist subjects the object to a randomized process in order to make a work of art. For uoel (2006–8), Panchal used a block of unprocessed expanded polystyrene, a plastic material that he then coated with unrefined oil to obtain a perpetually humid surface. The work thus confronts the public with this fossil fuel, which is usually invisible as it is contained underground. The oil reveals patterns on the mass of polystyrene, encouraging the visitor to observe this element usually used as insulation in buildings, and therefore hidden.
Text written by Julie Robin as part of the partnership between the École du Louvre and Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin.
Exhibitions
MAMC+ Musée d’art moderne et contemporain de Saint-Étienne Métropole, Saint-Priest-en-Jarez (France)
from 20 Mar to 22 Sep 2019
La Galerie des Galeries, Paris (France)
from 14 Oct 2010 to 08 Jan 2011
Palais Bénédictine, Fécamp (France)
from 13 May to 17 Oct 2010
Musée de Picardie, Amiens (France)
from 20 Feb to 03 May 2009
Fondation d'entreprise Pernod Ricard , Paris (France)
from 10 Oct to 22 Nov 2008
Espace Bellevaux, Lausanne (Suisse)
from 04 Dec to 07 Dec 2007
Maison Populaire, Montreuil (France)
from 16 Sep to 19 Nov 2006