Julien Prévieux's Ironic Reinterpretations at Galerie Jousse Entreprise

Julien Prévieux (born 1974, France) presented works at Galerie Jousse Entreprise in Paris from January 27 to March 10, 2007, that blend critical commentary on economic and technological determinism with playful art historical references. Earlier pieces like the video Roulades (1998) parody Dan Graham's performance Roll, while Pendu (1998) photographs recall Bas Jan Ader's fatal tree-hanging. Crash Test – Mode d'emploi (1998) evokes 1970s body art in a burlesque, Chaplinesque manner. The exhibition focused on less referential, more critical works: Lettres de non-motivation, an ongoing series of rejection letters to job ads; À la recherche du miracle économique, a critique of econometric forecasting weaving Adam Smith, Ricardo, and Marx with unreadable graphic chaos; Have a Rest, a sycamore-and-leather bench-sculpture copying the 1977 NASA Cray supercomputer design, recalling Richard Artschwager; and F.A.Q. paintings that invert 1970s Pocket Book covers, enlarging abstract compositions and shrinking titles, turning design into pure decoration. Prévieux also exhibited at LIA (Lieu d'images et d'art) in Grenoble from March 10 to April 28, 2007.