A common sight in our cityscape are the ubiquitous sheathes of tarp that protect the urban skeletons of new buildings — fragile and unformed.In “Swimming Blue”, a series of 15 images, Pailley captures an allusive moment when the turbulent wind unhinges the tarp and suddenly this element that is meant to protect, is beholden to the mercurial choreography of mother nature.
This combative dance is set against a peaceful sky and we are caught between a constraining physical force and our ability to set ourselves free into a pool of blue — one that promises us that we can escape into our infinite dreams. These images are a poetic metaphor of how fragile life is and that those structures and ideas that are in place to protect us can be fleeting.
Born in 1978, Benoit Pailley lives and works in New York and Paris. He is photographer specializing in still life and installation photography.
Pailley erases the boundaries between art and fashion, between physical space and in print. Objects becomes “works of art” in environments that recreate gallery spaces. When conceptually appropriate, he builds installations that frame the ‘work’ in unique and stunning ways. His ability to manipulate the visual language and deftly confuse and cojoin the high and the low is both refreshing and engaging. In his stories, he infuses politics, poetry and humor.
His first solo exhibition, Passport, was presented at the Flux Foundation in Geneva in March 2008. He is a regular contributor to Sleek and Double magazines and won German’s Lead Award(Silver) in 2006 for best photographer in Still Life/Architecture category.
Pailley erases the boundaries between art and fashion, between physical space and in print. Objects becomes “works of art” in environments that recreate gallery spaces. When conceptually appropriate, he builds installations that frame the ‘work’ in unique and stunning ways. His ability to manipulate the visual language and deftly confuse and cojoin the high and the low is both refreshing and engaging. In his stories, he infuses politics, poetry and humor.
His first solo exhibition, Passport, was presented at the Flux Foundation in Geneva in March 2008. He is a regular contributor to Sleek and Double magazines and won German’s Lead Award(Silver) in 2006 for best photographer in Still Life/Architecture category.
