Kolkoz: Mutant Images and the Blurring of Real and Virtual

Since the early 1990s, the French artistic pair Kolkoz, consisting of Samuel Boutruche and Benjamin Moreau, has delved into the concept of image amplification. Their latest works, showcased at Palais de Tokyo for 'Notre histoire' and in Malakoff for 'Touristes,' investigate the interactions between the real and the virtual. A key theme in their creations is the duplication of representations of individuals and locations. Their 'Kolkoz Towers' consist of virtual skyscrapers crafted from enhanced images of simple facades. Additionally, their travel films, including 'Hong Kong,' 'New York,' and 'Formentera,' employ an amateur video style, digitized in 3D, to challenge the authenticity of experiences. Their 'Portraits arabes' series features one face reinterpreted by fifteen artists, demonstrating that creation can also lead to distortion. Based in Paris, they recently held solo exhibitions at École d'art du Havre and Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in 2006.