Claude Closky's Animations and the Failure of Meaning at Le Quartier

At Le Quartier in Quimper, Claude Closky's solo exhibition (June 30–November 18, 2012) critiques the human drive for meaning through three works. In "Animations" (2012), tiny monitors on four walls display black screens for most of the day; once daily, a single screen briefly shows retro video-game figures like Pac-Man or Space Invaders, then vanishes. The work frustrates the viewer's expectation of narrative. "Illuminations" (2008) presents word fragments (e.g., "réation," "truction") in frames under intermittently lit bulbs, stripping language of sense. "No Choice" (2009) pairs slideshows of similar internet-sourced images (e.g., peas vs. beans, red vs. blue pens) that reduce objects to generic categories, missing their concrete specificity. Closky, who two months earlier curated "Ça & Là" at Fondation Ricard—placing works online, in press, or on streets rather than in white cubes—consistently challenges art's discursive frameworks.