december 20 to 23, 2018
exhibition by Philippe Chancel at the new Melanie Rio Fluency gallery space on the Ile de Nantes
Very early '80s, Paris, night exteriors, shiny interiors. The '50s turn violent again, West Side story-style between two rival gangs from the suburbs but also from the uptowns: the Vikings and the Panthers. Youth rock and blacks, whites and beurs.
This 1982 black-and-white series from Philippe Chancel's archives was first shown at Paris Photo 2016, then at the Multimedia Arts Museum in Moscow in 2017 and at the Barbican Centre in London and the Institut des Cultures de l'Islam in 2018.
On the occasion of the exhibition, come and discover the limited edition of Philippe Chancel's Rebel's series: a superb drawer box with 12 original photographs signed by the artist.
Edition of 12 and two artist's proofs, pigment prints on Baryta Prestige paper, 33 x 48 cm.
"Like them, I'm 20. Paris, outside at night, inside shining. In the early 80s, the triangle of Grands Boulevards, République and Gare de l'Est marks their territory. The '50s erupt in violence, like a West Side story, between two rival gangs from the suburbs and uptowns: the Vikings and the Panthers. Black, white and brown. Handsome, but already shattered. It's all about tribes and looks, the trendy press is looking for something new and interesting, and I'm convinced I've found the hottest story of the moment.
Confusion, but above all, and this is what I've come for, this damn trilogy of sex, drugs and Rock&Roll. I immerse myself fully with them, accepted, rejected or caught in the crossfire. For over a year, I photographed these nocturnal crossings and these much-desired drifts, fighting with my flash boosted by the tri X of my Nikon. In an attempt to chime in on the blazing, full-throttle life that unfolds before my eyes in the buried hope of a single, possible tomorrow."
Born in 1959, Chancel has been pursuing a photographic experiment at the intersection of art, documentary and journalism for over twenty years.
Opening hours
Open Thursday 20 and Friday 21 December, 1pm to 7pm,
saturday, December 22 and Sunday, December 23, from 3pm to 7pm
and by appointment during the Christmas vacations!
at the new Melanie Rio Fluency gallery space on the Ile de Nantes
Images: Rebel's series, Paris , 1982 © Philippe Chancel / Melanie Rio Fluency.