THE FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER'S DEBUT EXHIBITION IN ASIA ...
THE FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER'S DEBUT EXHIBITION IN ASIA ...
THE FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER'S DEBUT EXHIBITION IN ASIA ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>THE</strong> <strong>FRENCH</strong> PHOTOGRAPHER’S <strong>DEBUT</strong> <strong>EXHIBITION</strong> <strong>IN</strong> <strong>ASIA</strong><br />
Hong Kong – 19 October, 2011 – Opera Gallery pays tribute to the visual imagination of<br />
photographer Gérard Rancinan, showcasing his latest series of photography in Hong Kong,<br />
the first Asian stop of his world tour.<br />
Curated by Gilles Dyan, Chairman of the Opera Gallery Group and Shirley Yablonsky,<br />
Director of Opera Gallery Hong Kong, the exhibition will be on display at Opera Gallery Hong<br />
Kong from November 11 to December 1, 2011.<br />
Rancinan’s debut exhibition in Hong Kong and Asia will feature a selection photographs from<br />
his trilogy series – Metamorphoses, Hypotheses and Wonderful World – as well as some<br />
world famous Portraits.<br />
The exhibition has already been showcased at Opera Gallery in Geneva, Paris and London,<br />
and will also go to Singapore and Seoul in early 2012. Rancinan’s trilogy series will make its<br />
final stop in Italy where it will be exhibited in its entirety for the first time in the world at the very<br />
prestigious museum Triennale di Milano in May 2012 with "Trilogy of the Moderns".<br />
Metamorphoses, a series of larger-than-life photos, is the artist’s testimonial of the mutations<br />
shaking our world today. Inspired by artistic masterpieces, Rancinan revisits mankind’s most<br />
ancient and significant interrogations, and realizes how important these issues remain today.<br />
With his unique and vivid genius, Rancinan presents a subjective and yet strongly symbolic<br />
report on the planet’s most profound questions against a backdrop of accelerated<br />
globalisation: ecology, migration, emancipation of the oppressed, freedom and basic human<br />
rights, starvation and fast-food.<br />
Other series on display include Hypotheses and the brand new Wonderful world that depict<br />
the world as a “big amusement park”. The exhibition will also feature some of Rancinan’s<br />
most exquisite Portraits of famous artists. From Yan Pei Ming to Paul McCarthy, Rancinan<br />
plunged head-first into the creative universe of each of these talented artists, and the result is
a veritable communion of breath-taking “portrait-performances” that reveal parts of each<br />
person’s soul as well as their force and their humanity.<br />
Speaking about his work, Rancinan comments “I am a witness of the metamorphoses of our<br />
humanity. My work is to exhibit some wonderful and powerful photographs but also to show to<br />
the viewers how society is today and to be a witness of my contemporaries using the tradition<br />
of classic art.’’<br />
“Hong Kong is a new important hub for art and artists, between two different worlds, with a mix<br />
of people and culture. For me it's an important stop in my career as Hong Kong is the perfect<br />
example of urban living. Moreover, Opera Gallery is a very dynamic gallery and represents the<br />
ideal gallery to exhibit my work today in a city like Hong Kong,’’ he continued.<br />
French born Gérard Rancinan has travelled the globe photographing events of historical<br />
importance and delivering the startling images through an ever-evolving aesthetic prism.<br />
Seen in some of the most prestigious galleries around the world, the internationally renowned<br />
artist is constantly breaking down barriers, foremost as an investigator deconstructing the<br />
great sagas of contemporary life, and as a portraitist.<br />
The last time Rancinan was in Hong Kong was during the handover where he was<br />
commissioned by The Sunday Times Magazine to capture this historical period. He captured<br />
Chris Patten along side Stanley Ho, and other prominent Hong Kong identities.<br />
###
Notes<br />
High res-images can be downloaded from the following FTP site at ftp.impactasia.sys.hk;<br />
Login: opera<br />
Password: opera93<br />
Contact<br />
For all media enquiries, please contact:<br />
Louise Oram / Jacqueline Wu/ Heiman Ng<br />
impactasia<br />
T: +852 2521 1498<br />
E: louiseo@impactasia.com / jacqueline@impactasia.com / heiman@impactasia.com<br />
About Gérard Rancinan<br />
Born in the Bordeaux region, Gérard Rancinan travels the globe, bearing first hand witness to<br />
events of historical importance. Natural catastrophes, civil and ethnic wars, and urban riots... he<br />
comes face to face with the complexity of the human condition and the random events by which it<br />
is fashioned. His imperious need for self- expression leads him to focus on the world’s most<br />
important issues; he delivers startling images filtered through an ever-evolving aesthetic prism.<br />
Constantly breaking down barriers, he is, by turn, an investigator deconstructing the great sagas of<br />
contemporary life, and a portraitist. His photographs of athletes, artists, ecclesiastics and<br />
politicians have become iconic. His images have earned him a number of prizes, including four<br />
prestigious World Press Awards. Following his domain of predilection, in the “Trilogy of the<br />
Moderns” he becomes the wakeful observer of his contemporaries.<br />
Internationally renowned, Gérard Rancinan’s work is exhibited in the world’s most prestigious<br />
galleries and museums and features in the important contemporary art collections. During a recent<br />
Étude Millon auction at Drouot (2008), Gérard Rancinan became one of the highest ranked<br />
photographers in France. Gérard Rancinan is a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.<br />
About Opera Gallery<br />
Founded in Paris in 1994 and now internationally established with galleries in Paris, London,<br />
Geneva, Monaco, New York, Miami, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul and Dubai, Opera<br />
Gallery is one of the rare dealers in modern and contemporary American, European and Asian art<br />
with museums and private clients worldwide.<br />
Offering artworks of exceedingly high quality, the gallery has a reputation for excellence, integrity<br />
and discretion that it continues to earn by providing a high level of service to understandably<br />
demanding clients.<br />
Since its creation, Opera Gallery Group has always strived to offer its international collectors<br />
unique access to a diversity of multicultural artists. Whilst most galleries focus primarily upon artist<br />
representation and promotion, Opera Gallery is collector oriented. This means the gallery will<br />
assess quality and authenticity, evaluate, exhibit, care for, buy and sell art principally for the<br />
benefit of the collector.<br />
The gallery has presented museum-quality exhibitions of Chagall, Picasso, Dali and Botero<br />
throughout its international locations.<br />
Through its international expansion, Opera Gallery will soon open 2 new offices in Beijing<br />
(December 2011) and Taipei (2012).<br />
www.operagallery.com<br />
Opera Gallery Hong Kong<br />
2-8 Wellington Street, G2 Floor, M88, Central, Hong Kong<br />
T: +852 2810 1208