Claudio Parmiggiani's 'Phénix' at Galerie Serge Le Borgne

Claudio Parmiggiani's exhibition 'Cenere' at Galerie Serge Le Borgne in Paris (February 12–March 22, 2008) features the installation 'Phénix' (2008): three hundred square metal urns arranged in two perpendicular rectangular blocks, filled with ash mounds. The work evokes death and absence, yet its title references the mythical bird that rises from ashes, symbolizing cycles of death and resurrection. Parmiggiani has previously used similar ash-filled urns in works like 'Cenere' and 'Gloria di Cenere' (2003), and sometimes replaces ash with colored pigments. Fire is a recurring motif, seen in burned books and 'Sculptures d'ombres' (shadow sculptures) made with smoke on walls. The exhibition also includes a publication titled 'Incipit', a dialogue between Parmiggiani and photographer Paul Strand, who met in 1953 when Strand was exploring Italy. The book pairs Strand's photographs with Parmiggiani's installations, aiming forward rather than retrospective. Additionally, the gallery presents the catalogue 'Apocalypsis cum Figuris' for an ongoing exhibition at Palazzo Fabroni in Pistoia, featuring writings by the artist. Critic Jean Clair notes that ash and dust have become Parmiggiani's primary materials, linking to biblical and Homeric traditions.