TITLE: the Awakened
His latest theme, The Awakened (Les Eveillés), brings the work of Michel Kirch full circle.
In terms of form, for one… Everything that has been alluded to or explored until now is hereby asserted, established, in an increasingly exacting geometry, with a square format like a kind of protocol on a black ground, and, more often than not, a single human figure, an Everyman unfurling in a landscape where he is its punctuation. From their relationship flows the meaning of the whole.
The character alone bears the brunt of the human condition. His gestures, his silences, his fervors are universal, insofar as they translate how each one of us can or must deal with making our place in the world. Miniscule and at the same time a giant, he is lost…and yet so fully present.
His silhouette conveys the legitimacy or impropriety of his presence in a given place. That presence could be read as incongruous if the energy driving him did not transcend the given landscape, the conventional idea. He is a catalyst, he is a conscience; the Awakening lies in wait…
Here, landscape is the test of the awakened. Its elements are powerful, sometimes immense, often unsettling. It mirrors the character’s internal topography: darkly saturated depths, labyrinthic paths to choose from, craggy hills to climb.
But the landscape is in need of awakening, just as the awakened cannot be so without it. The two are complementary in their sharing of an energy whose genesis hinges on the balance of their encounter.
With “The Awakened”, Michel Kirch confirms his intention to etch spirituality into the very structure of his work.
AUTHOR: Michel Kirch (France)
• Born in France, 1959.
• Shows in galleries in Europe, the United States and Asia. (60 shows in 12 countries)
• Is invited to represent France in the Shapes of Time exhibition at the Alexandria Biennale in 2008.
• Works acquired by public and private collections
• The Province of Milan chooses works from his series Climats to accompany
a lecture by Edgar Morin and establish a link between Morin’s thinking and the world of art.
• Becomes the first artist to be chosen by the foundation L’Art pour la Conscience, sponsored by Edgar Morin, and donates a work to the foundation.
• Is chosen two years running (2009, 2010) by the Esther Woerdehoff gallery for Paris Photo,
and for MIART and MIA in Milan (2010, 2011).
• Is selected three years running by Mac Paris (2009–2011).
• In 2010 his exhibition TransPhotographies is spotlighted by the City of Marseille.
• Invited by the John McDermott Gallery to the Angkor Foto Festival in 2010.
• Exhibition at Espace Cardin in Paris in december 2011 sponsored by Edgar Morin, with
the backing of the European Space Agency.
• In June 2012 he is named Intercultural Ambassador by the UNESCO
• Invited by the French Embassy in India to exhibit in New Delhi in February 2013.
• Invited by UNESCO to exhibit during the Global Conference in june 2013.
• Retrospective on various sites in the city of Metz, including the Musée de la Cour d’Or,
september 2013 – january 2014.
• Shows with the Baudoin Lebon gallery at the Art O’Clock fair, Paris, september 2013.
• Black and White magazine: Award Winner, Portfolio Contest, November 2013.
• Grand Prix Eurazeo for Photography, 2013.
• Publication of the monograph “ “les éveillés” November 2014
• BENAKI MUSEUM, GREECE - Athens Photobook Show , July 2015
• Invited by the Mairie de Paris for “Bridges and Cultures” with personal exhibition
and conference, september 2015
• Winner of the International Competition « Spirit of the Mediterranean », organized by PHOTOMED and LENSCULTURE. May 26 - June 19, 2016
• « Monochrome Photographer of the Year « January 2017 (Monochrome Awards)
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