T H O M A S J O R I O N P O D B I E L S K I C O N T E M P O R A RY

T H O M A S J O R I O N P O D B I E L S K I C O N T E M P O R A RY

Timeless islands nicole thur Timeless Islands. The title of the exhibition embodies the concept encompassing the artistic career of Thomas Jorion: the search for something ephemeral that exists alongside time. The exhibition will present a selection of photographs from the series Révolution Eteinte, which were predominantly taken in abandoned factory buildings from 2007 to 2013. The name of the series evokes Extinct Revolution, referring to the Industrial Revolution, which in the second half of the 18th century staged continuous new scientific achievements. The rapid development of technology and production requirements then lead to permanent changes in booming industrial sectors. Old, antiquated factories and production plants were simply abandoned. MICHIGAN BELGIUM LOMBARDY BERLIN North-Rhine-Westphalia japan Jorion has a romantic view. He captures the beauty of decay through formative ideas of Romanticism. From the mid 18th until the mid 19th century, the bourgeoisie highlighted efficiency: thus, working hours but also mass poverty increased dramatically. The populations lived in growing cities where they worked in factories during the Industrial development. They eventually relocated from abandoned industrial areas, consciously seeking refuge in nature. There was now a renewed interest in ancient ruins, and a return to more traditional values in response to the dramatic changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution. Thomas Jorion combines such ideas from romantic times with his contemporary view on industrial development. He creates a timeless continuum captured on photographic film. Overall, the works highlight a precarious balance between the preserved form and the decay memory and present. These buildings are silent witnesses of history. They are Timeless Islands and evoke a bygone era, whose remains have fallen victim to time. My work is based on our perception of time, how it passes, but the lack of linearity particularly interests me. Architectural photography, more precisely, a branch of artistical industrial photography, has famous precursors, such as Bernd and Hilla Becher. They received recognition for their documentary photographs of industrial buildings in the Ruhr district, the Netherlands, France, Belgium,

Metropolis, Belgium, 2008 c-print on Hahnemühle, framed 95 x 120 cm Great Britain and the USA; especially the depictions of old water towers during the 1970s and 1980s. Jorion s photos show a part of the interior of factories without additional artificial light sources to depict the former work places in fascinating detail and breathtaking perspectives. In some cases, the artist changes the depiction of a ceiling so that the viewer cannot even determine his own position. For a deeper understanding of the works by Thomas Jorion, Bernd and Hilla Becher s perception of industrial buildings is important; they consider the factories as Nomads always following the interests and the profit of the industrialists, old sites are abandoned and the production places move continuously to new, more lucrative locations. Fantasia Rosso, 2010, is characterised by the bright pink of the interior walls. They show no signs, no evidence of the former famous textile factory in Northern Italy, which fell victim to global outsourcing. Hugo, also created in 2010, stands for an entire industrial sector, which once distinguished the Ruhr Region, and has now been moved to emerging mining countries. It depicts the former locker room in a coal mine in North Rhine-Westphalia. A similar situation is depicted in the work, Meikyu, created in 2008 in Aichi, Japan, which evokes the frozen beauty of a former warehouse in a chalk mine. In Les Orgues, 2011, he photographs a row of still gleaming metallic exhaust pipes, whose surroundings alone reveal a long abandoned factory. In Metropolis, 2008, a highlighted and haunting detail of an old electricity plant turns into a staring monster. Through these structural elements in the centre of his photographs, such as machines, ducts, pipes, or beams, his use of natural light and shadow and his clarity of perspective, the viewer is drawn into the artwork, haunted and nonplussed. Overall, the consistent absence of workers in his photos leaves one s imagination to fill the gaps, searching for the presence of long forgotten generations. In times of dramatic developments and related social unrest, Jorion s images respond to a wish and need to stand still and reflect on where our contemporary world is heading.

Meikyu, Aichi, Japan, 2008 c-print on Hahnemühle, framed 80 x 120 cm Deux, Liège, Belgium, 2008 c-print on Diasec 100 x 150 cm 7

Fantasia rosso, Lombardy, Italy (North of Milan), 2010 c-print on Diasec 100 x 127 cm Hugo, North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 2010 c-print on Diasec 100 x 127 cm 8 9

Octo, Michigan, USA, 2009 c-print on Hahnemühle 80 x 120 cm thomas jorion Thomas Jorion (b. 1976, lives in Paris) photographs urban ruins and condemned buildings, spaces that no longer serve the purposes for which they were built. His work explores the built environment in a state of entropy, inviting viewers to reflect on the relationship between the material and the temporal. Mentions & selections 2011 Honorable mention at Exhibit A photography award 2010 Selection Bourse du talent #44 Paysage Crital mass Top 50 Archiphoto, Sélection internationale de la photographie d architecture, Palais de Strasbourg 2009 Sélection internationale prix voies off Arles Solo exhibitions 2013 Podbielski Contemporary, Berlin, Germany Sala 1, Fotografia, Festival Internazionale di Roma, Italy Galerie Insula, Paris, France 2012 Palais oubliés, Insula, Paris, France 2011 Place M, Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, Japan Galerie Valérie Lefebvre, Lilles, France 2010 Rencontres photographiques d Arles, Galerie du magasin de jouet, France Group shows 2013 Art O Clock, Art fair, Paris, France Terres, Abbey of Epau, Yvré l Evêque, France MIA Art Fair, Milan, Italy Lille Art Fair, Lille, France Photo LA, Santa Monica, CA, USA 2012 Art O Clock, Paris Scope Basel, Switzerland Photo LA, Santa Monica, California, USA 2011 Scope Miami, Florida USA Photo Off - Foire d art contemporain, Paris, France Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Houston, Texas, USA Festival Circulation(s) nouvelle génération de photographes européens, Galerie Côté Seine Paris, France 2010 Mois de la photo off, Paris, France Cutlog, Bourse du commerce, Paris, France Révélation 4, Paris, France 2009 8th Biennial d Issy-les-Moulineaux, Musée Français de la Carte à Jouer, France 7th Festival d images ManifestO, Toulouse, France 2008 Galerie Kir, Oberhausen, Germany Publications Silencio, La Martinière, France, October 2013 Îlots Intemporels / Timeless Islands, France, April 2012 / October 2010 10 11

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Thomas Jorion Podbielski Contemporary Berlin, 13 September 9 November 2013 Essay Nicole Thur Concept and Design Andrea Lancellotti General Information Koppenplatz, 5 10115 Berlin T +49.30.240.88.238 info@podbielskicontemporary.com www.podbielskicontemporary.com Opening Hours Tuesday Saturday 12-6 pm or by appointment Under the Patronage of Cover: Les orgues, Hainaut, Belgium, 2011 c-print on Hahnemühle, framed 120 x 150 cm Print run: 100 Podbielski Contemporary, Berlin