Clémence de La Tour du Pin's assemblages and video at Derosia explore material transformation through urban detritus

Clémence de La Tour du Pin presents four untitled assemblages from 2025 at Derosia in New York, each several metres wide and six centimetres high, creating a strong horizontal line in the gallery. These works incorporate broken umbrella spokes and silk threads fixed with tiny nails onto linen substrates, coated with wax and oil paint in desaturated, grungy palettes. The assemblages evoke themes of protection and degradation, repurposing discarded urban objects akin to a nineteenth-century ragpicker's practice. A recurring warped chequerboard pattern from a previous show at Derosia suggests a recursive element in the artist's work. In an adjacent room, the video Voices (2023–25) projects subtitles of chemists' conversations about molecular fragrances, such as 'ethers always have that sulphur whisper,' drawing parallels between scientific vocabulary and abstract art language. The exhibition runs through 7 March 2026, as featured in the March 2026 issue of ArtReview. The artist's approach emphasizes elegant ambiguity over conceptual rigour, with materials like tarlike substances and weathered textures inviting close observation.