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WUHO presents François Dallegret: The World Upside-Down

Curated by François Perrin | First exhibition of François Dallegret’s work in Los Angeles

WUHO is pleased to present the work of François Dallegret in an exhibition titled “Le Monde a l’Envers / The World Upside-Down.” The exhibition will run from May 19 to June 26, 2016.

Opening reception Thursday, May 19, 6-9 pm
Press Preview Thursday, May 19 at 4:30 pm
Exhibition walk-through with François Dallegret, Saturday, May 21 at 3pm followed by a round-table discussion with curator François Perrin, architectural critic Mimi Zeiger, and professor and associate dean of the School of Architecture at Woodbury University, Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter

Download a flyer here!

The exhibition has been made possible by grants from The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, The Canadian Center for Architecture, The Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, and Dorothy Lichtenstein.

The work of François Dallegret, a French Montreal-based artist and architect, defies simple categorization. It ranges from the design of chairs, night clubs, bars of soap, cars and machines, complex line drawings of vehicles and other apparati to proposals for shopping center and light installations.

In his own words (he speaks rarely and states that his company GOD&CO does not speak but engages) François Dallegret’s work is “out of computerizing and out of line. Its production goes beyond the possible, he artificializes the reality and offers wondrous freedom. It is a call for mental mutation, appealing the other side for a multitude of sights out of evidence”.

Dallegret is best known for his collaboration with architectural critic Reyner Banham, author of “Los Angeles, The Architecture of four Ecologies” in their article “A Home is Not a House” that was published in 1965 in the magazine Art in America including the iconic drawing of the Environmental Bubble.

It exemplified the utopian visions that architects, artists and designers were developing in the sixties, ranging from a belief in new technologies (Yves Klein, Buckminster Fuller) to a new, radical use of the land (Superstudio, Robert Smithson).

This exhibition will allow a new generation to experience physically these drawings more than fifty years after their publication, as well as a visual selection of his built and unbuilt projects during these five decades.

While the range and scale of Dallegret’s work is breathtakingly diverse, it is always thought-provoking and engaging. From the curvaceous nightclub design for “Le Drug,” which announces future explorations in non-Euclidean space, to the body-centered designs of his furniture and installations, Dallegret has influenced multiple generations of architects and designers.

Dallegret’s body of work brings us back to a time when artists and designers were dreamers and wanted to change the world in a radical way. The comical, critical and sometime cynical aspect of his work is a breath of fresh air in a design world that sometimes takes itself too seriously, and brings back a healthy dose of poetry when it is much needed.

Exhibition Details

  1. Wall screens, 66’x10’, for 8 video projectors for simultaneous projections with “100 artist’s images”, 4 on one side and 4 on the opposite side, to produce a corridor of images
  1. Vertical LED screen presenting an animation of the “Villa Ironique” 3’3”x6’6” displayed in the storefront window right of the entrance
  1. Several multiples and editions, to be shown and on display in the window facing the street, left of the entrance
  1. Drawing of “Villa Ironique”, framed 2’10”x5’, behind the window facing the gallery
  1. Blow-up print of the Un-house on white PVC fabric 8’6”x7’ to be hanging facing the entrance in the back of the main gallery space A
  1. Framed drawings “A Home is Not a House” in the second gallery space
  1. Videos of “La Machine a Fumer” / Interface / FD / I-Con
  1. Wall texts & key-words
  1. Architectural Association exhibition’s catalogue available for reading

Related Program and Publication

A series of lectures and round-tables will be organized in relation to the exhibition. They will take place at the WUHO gallery and other venues to be announced in Los Angeles.

One will focus on art practice in relationship to architecture and another one on urban interventions with participants including local art critics and historians, artists and architects.

A film screening will also present some of the short films of Dallegret as well as films from Doug Aitken, Reyner Banham, Yves Klein and Superstudio

A newsprint edited and designed by the artist and curator will consist of a foldable poster of the exhibition with a reproduction of a large drawing. The other side will present a combination of texts related to the career and work of François Dallegret, a recent interview, images, and drawings as well as a presentation of the exhibition and the related program.

A press preview is scheduled for Thursday, May 19 at 4.30 p.m. prior to the opening.

Visitor Information

Located on the iconic Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, the Woodbury University Hollywood Outpost (WUHO) invites a broad and diverse audience to a vital and celebratory place for learning about architecture and interior architecture. Woodbury University has occupied this 7500 square foot storefront and studio space since 1995.

WUHO | 6518 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

* located between Wilcox Ave. and Schrader Blvd.
* Hollywood & Highland nearest metro stop

Open | Thurs – 1pm to 8pm; Fri, Sat, Sun – 1pm to 6pm

François Perrin is an architect, curator and educator based in Los Angeles. He has organized exhibitions internationally including Yves Klein’s Air Architecture at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles.

For more information on François Dallegret’s work, visit www.arteria.ca

 

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