Cold Wave: Beloüin and Ledoux's Post-Mortem on Contemporary Art

Pierre Beloüin and P. Nicolas Ledoux present 'Cold Wave' at Wharf in Hérouville-Saint-Clair from October 15, 2010 to January 30, 2011. The exhibition features 'image-objects' that critically and humorously observe recent art and its history. Works include a large diptych of a dark sea wave titled 'Cold Wave', a cabinet of emails promoting Eastern European women, a non-functional staircase, a blue neon installation referencing Dan Flavin and Maurizio Nannucci titled 'Last Night Ian Curtis Saved my Life', audio of an investment fund pitch, and funeral wreaths inscribed 'We were already dead in the 1980s'. Pieces like 'Bas-relief (pour Claude Lévêque)' and 'PLV 02. M. Cattelan' directly quote other artists. The show adopts a second-degree, imitative, and disillusioned tone, suggesting a 'post' and funereal perspective on art from the 1980s-2000s. Critic Paul Ardenne questions the originality of this neo-conceptual approach, noting precedents such as American appropriationists, Louise Lawler, Guillaume Bijl, the Yoon Ja and Paul Devautour Collection, and Pierre Bismuth.