Prix Meurice for Contemporary Art 2010/2011

Bertrand Planes

Galerie JTM and New Galerie

Born in 1975, Bertrand Planes lives in Paris.
Bertrand Planes finds new functions for common objects and practices. Much of his work is about joining otherwise unconnected environments. After studying at the Arts Décoratifs and the Ecole Supérieure d'Art in Grenoble, he explored the notion of ‘non-brand’ and, in 1999 with Barbara Vaysse, founded the Emmaüs ‘moveable’ clothes brand, backed by the charity's then president, Martin Hirsch. Clothes are seen as raw material; any that are not used by Emmaüs are given to young designers. Bertrand Planes is an endless inventor, a kind of professor: a tinkle tonk toy controls data on a computer screen; music is turned on and off from an electrical switch; a clock shows how many years of your ‘life expectancy’ you have left (Life Clock, Antoine de Galbert collection). Bertrand Planes is also the creator of Bump It!, in which an object or group of objects is painted a uniform white, and its textures and colours restored by a video projector.

Project : High Low Tech uses electronic systems to implement a home-made device. Fifty-five helium balloons form a giant floating screen. The balloons contain LEDs which light up to display texts, like a vast advertising sign. The balloons stay in the air for around eight hours, slowly descending and losing their shape, distorting the sign, as the helium escapes.

Selected shows:
Solo shows:
2010
à moins que.., Théâtre de l'Agora, Evry, France
2009
Bateau mouche 2, Futur en Seine, Paris, France
2008
Bumpit!, Eglise Sainte Elisabeth Paris, France - Untitled, Galerie Griesmar & Tamer, Paris, France

Group shows :
2010
fake off, krenobl, Berlin- Duel, JTM Galerie, Paris, France
2009
Siana, Nanchang, Chine
Bande Annonce, New galerie de France, Paris
3d, Biennale ventosul, Instituto Paranaense de arte, Curitiba, Brésil
2008
Bump it!, Nuit Blanche / mairie du 4°, Paris, France
2007
J'aime beaucoup ce que vous faites, galerie Envoy, New York, USA