SSNYC’s curatorial program is dedicated to promoting contemporary visual art focusing on the research and exploration of three dimensional work with an emphasis towards ceramics.
Sculpture Space NYC is pleased to present Nicolas Touron's Solo Exhibition "Objects & Surfaces"
March 1 - April 6th 2019
Opening Reception: Friday, March, 6pm - 9pm
Hours: Saturday 12pm - 6pm & by appointment
Location: 47-21 35th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
Nicolas Touron: Objects & Surfaces
by CHRIS BORS
Nicolas Touron is a meticulous creator of illusive objects and habitats, whose organic sculptural forms are not of this world, but of a parallel dimension hiding somewhere in eternity. His porcelain forms rest atop stoneware bases, which become as important as the objects themselves, holding them aloft like a city in the sky. Several bases rise up in reverse conical fashion, while others are complex structures in their own right, featuring detailed 3D-printed biomechanical shapes reminiscent of H.R. Giger’s art or the cyberpunk genre of science fiction. The top of the bases function as presentation areas for a range of uncommon forms in earthy colors and diverse textures, some jutting out and appearing to have totem-like significance, while others could be seen as dwellings of unknown inhabitants. While no clear narrative is laid out, the viewer can spy spiky animal forms and smooth ovoids, corals and stratum, and boulders or wishing stones with healing powers atop precipices.
Although we may recognize specific elements of Touron’s porcelain landscapes, including his restrained use of the photo transfer process, sea creatures would also feel at home in these surroundings, as many resemble a marine ecosystem. Mostly handmade with a finite number of 3D-printed parts, each one of the components that comprise his sculptures demand close inspection. Gazing at them from above, we can imagine an alien world, analogous to our own, but whose geological formations have manifested in infinitely curious combinations.
Born in France, New York-based artist Nicolas Touron received his BFA from the Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy, Amsterdam and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to pursue his MFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Solo shows include Stux Gallery in New York, Galerie Detais in Paris and Galerie Bugdahn und Kaimer in Dusseldorf. Residencies/awards include Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space, Socrates Sculpture Park and the Lower East Side Printshop. He has curated exhibitions at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Radiator Arts in Long Island City, and SPRING/BREAK Art Show in New York. Nicolas is currently a faculty member at the School of Visual Art, teaching ceramic and drawing at the School of Visual Art and he is collaborating with Sculpture Space NYC to develop a 3D printing department for their ceramic program.