With each piece, Patrick Neu turns traditional technique on its head and embarks on new experiments, which he extends for as long as required. The artist works with materials not often found in the art world: bees' wings, lampblack on glass, crystal, wax, blocks of Chinese ink, butterfly wings, sloughed snakeskin, eggshells, charred paper, etc. For 30 years, Patrick Neu has been developing his art discreetly. The works selected for his exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo are a nod towards this perilous dialogue with the materials and the memory of the world. Daring decisions, the adventure of thought, an insistence on duration and a dialogue with history are all ingredients in the artist's researches into memory and forgetting processes, the macabre blooming of flowers and the endurance of ancient images.
This monograph gathers a conversation with Patrick Neu and Jean de Loisy, an essay by Katell Jaffrès, curator of Patrick Neu's exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, a portfolio of views of the exhibition, a selection of images of works by Patrick Neu and notes on a selection of the artist's works.
Published on the occasion of Patrick Neu's solo exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, from June to September 2015.
Published in cooperation with Les presses du réel, this series of monographic books accompanies the Palais de Tokyo's exhibition program. Richly illustrated, with many views of the exhibition, accessible to all, each book will offer the reader an extended experience of the encounter with the artists' work. The artists' words will appear alongside original contributions by theoreticians, art critics, and curators, providing the reader with a deeper understanding of each artist's background and of the genesis of their project for the Palais de Tokyo. These books will allow the reader to follow the evolution of the artists' reflection on their work. Reproductions of artworks, preparatory documents, visual references, and studio views will bear witness to each step in the artist's process and accompany interviews and essays.