Valentin Carron (b. 1977, Martigny, Switzerland) has become known for sculptural work in which ubiquitous cultural icons––particularly those associated with the rural area of his native Martigny, Switzerland––are transformed into objects brimming with humor and pathos. He appropriates seemingly ubiquitous forms and recreates them, so that objects emptied of their significance over time are re-energized and re-awakened. In some cases, anodyne modernist sculptures that originally existed in materials like stone are reimagined by Carron in synthetic ones like polystyrene, complete with trompe l’oeil effects that mimic the decaying forces of weather. In others, he utilizes natural materials like iron or bronze, introducing distortions and dramatic shifts in scale. Equal parts homage and iconoclasm, Carron's work is a materials-based critique of the relationship between the authentic and the fabricated, and between local and global modes of creative expression.
Valentin Carron is currently the subject of a solo exhibition, Zéro Virgule Nul, Le Consotium, Dijon, France. In 2013, Valentin Carron represented Switzerland at the 55th Venice Biennale. He has also been the subject of solo exhibitions at numerous institutions worldwide, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes and Galerie Art & Essai Université Rennes, France (2018); Overbeck Gesellschaft, Lübeck, Germany (2015); Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland (2014); Fondation Louis Moret, Martigny, Switzerland (2014); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2010); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo La Conservera, Ceuti, Spain (2009); Kunsthalle Zürich, Switzerland (2007); and Swiss Institute, New York (2006). His work is in the public collections of a number of museums, including Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Switzerland; Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; and Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich. Carron lives and works in Martingy, Switzerland.
Valentin Carron
Vecchio Cuore, 2018
pine, paint
4 3/8 x 85 7/8 x 95 1/4 inches
(11 x 218 x 242 cm)
Installation view, Swiss Institute, New York
Valentin Carron
Bottle Man (Suavely), 2017
150 bottles made of hand blown glass
12 1/4 x 72 7/8 x 74 3/4 inches
(31 x 185 x 190 cm)
Valentin Carron
Speed and Aluminum and Trembling, 2017
composite panels, acrylic paint
93 1/8 x 151 1/8 x 9 inches
(236.5 x 385 x 23.5 cm)
Valentin Carron
A hand five fingers, 2016
bronze, patina and enamel paint
sculpture:
3 1/2 x 24 x 27 1/4 inches
(7 x 61 x 69.2 cm)
pedestal:
29 1/2 x 27 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches
(74.9 x 69.9 x 59.7 cm)
unique colored variant from Edition of 2, with 1 AP
Valentin Carron
Node (after Piero Travaglini), 2014
Styrofoam, fiberglass, resin, acrylic paint
85 3/4 x 37 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches
(218 x 96 x 40 cm)
Valentin Carron
Maurice, Richard harelip, 2013
cast bronze
31 1/2 x 18 1/8 x 2 1/2 inches
(80 x 46 x 6.5 cm)
Edition of 2, with 1 AP
Valentin Carron
He we you you they, 2013
iron
94 3/4 x 71 1/4 x 59 3/4 inches
(241 x 181 x 152 cm)
Valentin Carron
Ciao n°6, 2013
Piaggio Ciao restored
41 1/4 x 63 x 25 1/4 inches
(105 x 160 x 64 cm)
Valentin Carron
Walter, 2011
Dichroic glass, acrylic lacquer
2 parts, each:
15 3/4 x 10 1/4 x 4 3/8 inches
(40 x 26 x 11 cm)
Valentin Carron
Untitled, 2009
oak and fir wood, zinced steel, paint
sculpture:
433 1/8 x 247 1/4 x 43 1/4 inches
(1100 x 628 x 110 cm)
pedestal:
43 1/4 x 247 1/4 x 247 1/4 inches
(110 x 628 x 628 cm)
Installation view, Messeplatz, Art Basel 2013
Valentin Carron
Orologio V, 2008
Styrofoam, gauze, wood, plaster, clock mechanism, aluminium, dispersion paint
102 3/8 x 82 5/8 x 7 7/8 inches
(260 x 210 x 20 cm)
Valentin Carron
Le Souffleteur, 2005
cannon: polyesther, acrylic
plinths: wood, plaster, acrylic
sculpture:
18 1/8 x 118 1/8 x 27 1/2 inches
(46 x 300 x 70 cm)