Philippe Pasqua: Borderline

The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco presents the monographic Borderline exhibition by artist Philippe Pasqua. His monumental works, most of which have been tailor-made for this show, will stand alongside the Museum’s mythical collection to create a unique dialogue.

In his work Philippe Pasqua experiments with the notion of limits. He flirts with the brink, brushes against boundaries and breaks free of them. Violent and raw, his oeuvre disturbs as much as it fascinates, placing the visitor in a dilemma: to gaze intently or to turn away, a mechanism of defence rather than one of indifference. “Pasqua questions, raises concerns and unsettles his audience, but never leaves unmoved. His work provides the ideal trigger for raising awareness in favour of marine and terrestrial life," explains Robert Calcagno, director of the Oceanographic Museum.

Inspired by the architecture and aware of the environmental commitment of the Oceanographic Museum, the artist offers an exhibition that reflects the sincere and multi-faceted personality of the location. 12 monumental creations, including seven unseen works, occupy the entire space—from the square in the front of the Museum and its panoramic terrace, to the cliff on which the building is perched.

Challenging society about its relationship with nature
Philippe Pasqua’s penchant for the monumental is in contrast with his attraction to the vulnerable and profound. Faults and cracks are shown in size XXL. This instinctive artist does not theorise about his work and leaves visitors free to interpret it. In his view, art goes beyond the spoken and the visible. “Beauty is evocative power,” he explains. A work is beautiful because of the emotion it produces, the blow it deals to the heart.

In this century-old palace dedicated to art and science, the artist expresses his sensitivity and questions his audience’s relationship with nature, death, and rebirth. “Building on these recurrent themes, he plays with the ambiguous connection between mankind and the marine world, a relationship defined by both fear and fascination, in order to confront his audience with the current issues of biodiversity protection," adds Robert Calcagno.

These environmental concerns are an integral part of the Museum’s DNA and can be seen reflected in Philippe Pasqua’s “Borderline” works, on the borderline between the poetic and commitment.

About the artist and the museum

Philippe Pasqua 
Fascinated by painting since the age of 18, Philippe Pasqua (born in Grasse in 1965) has always worked in this medium, learning to tame and reinvent it, thus establishing himself as one of the major artists of his generation. 

For several years, sculpture has been a major part of Philippe Pasqua’s practice. Characterized by materials that symbolize solidity and strength such as bronze and onyx, or eternity and purity, like marble and silver, his works, which sometimes reach up to 5 meters in height and 25 meters in length, echo the monumentality of his paintings and appeal to his audience through their volume and visual strength. 

His works have been exhibited at the Cheim and Read Gallery (New York, 2006), the Fondation Ahlers (Hanover, 2009), ArtCurial (Paris, 2009), the MMOMA (Moscow, 2010) and the Musée Maillol (Paris, 2010). Philippe Pasqua is represented by Galerie RX in Paris, partner of the Borderline exhibition.

The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco 
The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, founded by Prince Albert I, great-great grandfather of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, has honoured, for over a century, its Founder’s desire to “unite in the same splendour the guiding forces of civilization: art and science.”

Since 2010, the Museum has given a new impulse to this program, by inviting renowned contemporary artists to enrich the theme of ocean protection through the originality and uniqueness of their gaze. As a result, Damien Hirst (2010), Huang Yong Ping (2010), Mark Dion (2011), and Marc Quinn (2012), have occupied the space of the Museum, as well as a Chinese artists’ collective which presented On Sharks & Humanity in 2014 in collaboration with Parkview Arts Action, and more recently the Taba Naba exhibition (2016) dedicated to Aboriginal and Oceanic art.

RSVP for the preview before April 15 at: exposition@oceano.org