Artist of the Month: April with Camille Henrot

CtC’s Artist of the Month for April is New York-based artist Camille Henrot (Paris, 1978).

Her practice is strongly influenced by the legacy of film and especially centred on the questioning of conventions in the reading of art history. Finding collocation in the contemporary discourse of a post-medium condition, she confidently deploys a diversity of media – often conjoint in the form of installations – ranging from drawing to sculpture, photography, music and video. A recurring element in her research is the exploration of ‘otherness’, in relation to both sexuality and geographical places, particularly expressed through the recollection of products of popular culture, e.g. cinematic images and movies, and references to artistic heritages such as archaeology and African art. These appear as inspirational sources for the construction of neatly orchestrated displays of miscellaneous artefacts, which combine elements of consumerism with symbols of tradition. Misplacement of fiction and reality, as well as virtual and physical worlds, therefore occurs, in Henrot’s works, to challenge the established myths of  Western society, whilst emphasising its often incoherent historical narratives.

Camille Henrot “Grosse Fatigue” from Collectif Combo on Vimeo.

Her work has been exhibited at the New Museum, New York (2014), New Orleans Museum of Art (2013), Schinkel Pavilion, Berlin (2014), the 13^th Lyon Biennale (2015), the 9^th Taipei Biennale (2014) and the 10^th Gwangju Biennale (2014). Her show The Pale Fox, opened at Chisenhale Gallery, London (2014), and then travelled to Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2014), Bétonsalon, Parigi (2014), Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster (2015) and König Galerie, Berlin (2015). She won the prize of the first edition of the Edvard Munch Art Award (2015) and the Nam June Paik Award (2014), and in 2013 she earned the Silver Lion at the 55^th Venice Biennale.

In 2016, Henrot will take part in the 20^th Sydney Biennale and the 9^th Berlin Biennale, and will co-curate Vulcano Extravaganza in Stromboli. Her work is currently on display at Whitechapel Gallery, London, within the exhibition Electronic Superhighway. Her next solo exhibitions will be at Fondazione Memmo, Rome (May 2016), Madre – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina, Napoli (May 2016), Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2017) and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2017).

For the month of April, CtC will present a selection of Camille Henrot’s works on the Facebook and Twitter pages.

Check the CtC pages regularly to see the next one.

Camille Henrot, The Pale Fox, 2014, installation view, Chisenhale Gallery. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery in partnership with Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen; Bétonsalon – Centre for art and research, Paris and Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster. Courtesy kamel mennour, Paris and Johann König, Berlin. Photo: Andy Keate. © ADAGP.

Camille Henrot. Still from Grosse Fatigue. 2013. © ADAGP Camille Henrot. Courtesy the artist and kamel mennour, Paris.

Installation view, New Orleans Museum of Art © Camille Henrot, Courtesy the artist and kamel mennour, Paris.

Camille Henrot The Restless Earth 2014. Exhibition view New Museum. Photo Benoit Pailey.

Miriam La Rosa