ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
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PAULINE ZENK
Born in 1984 (GE). Lives and works in Toulouse (FR).
paulinezenk.com
Pauline Zenk's research are based around the notion of the collective memory. She investigates which images we retain as part of our collective memory, and which images are lost or newly interpreted. Using the traditional mediums of paint and drawing she questions our relation to photographs as part of our collective and cultural memories. By (re-)working images in paint or drawing she is researching the impact an image can still have today in our image-dominated culture. She researches and finds these images in archives, museums or private collections. By painting and drawing the found images she reveals the psychological, social and political meaning of the images, often mixing the personal and the political, pointing to the intersection between the history of great events and small men in her depiction and choice of images. Her work often deals with found imagery (as in magazine ads, TV Screen shots, antique newspapers and old photographs) and deals with the notions of body – portrait – identity as well as the aspects of public versus private and the commercialization of the body; the works in their conjunction - create a dialogue between photography, digital culture and traditional painting. She often works in the format of artistic research projects which have a cross-cultural and/or regional focus. By visually exploring and re-interpreting cultural and collective memory she reflects on and questions the concept and creation of social and cultural identity. She is currently researching the interrelationships between portrait, memory and identity in Europe.
Pauline Zenk was part of many collective and solo shows, as : MRAC Occitanie (Sérignan), Lieu-commun (Toulouse), Memento (Auch), Pavillon Blanc - centre d'art (Colomiers), Produzentengalerie (Hambourg), Ventana Galerie (Sao Paulo). She was artist in residency at Plessix-Madeuc Studios (Britanny), Taller 7 (Medellin, Colombia) and Estudio Lamina (Sao Paulo). She is represented by Galerie le Confort des Étranges à Toulouse and Produzentengalerie, Hamburg.
