Pierre Denan is a French writer and artist.

Pierre Denan
Occupation(s)Writer, artist, publisher
M19 Editions founder
Years active1997– present
Websitehttp://www.pierredenan.com

He is the author of Pourquoi Tom Cruise: Book 1 (2010), Pourquoi Tom Cruise: Book 2 (2015) news ticker tales published by les Presses du réel as part of their Literature Collection—Fiction. He has also published: Libre (2002–2005), Paradis (2015), and Voilà, A Collection, Notes for the Book to Come (2016).

His artwork is exhibited at Multiples Gallery, on the Internet and in artists' publications. His books on art include Poulet Poulet, R. Thomas, JE, and Dragon Eye. He has also contributed to Grams of Art, and AH AH AH. His paintings represent the bulk of his visual diary, and are partly gathered in Pierre Denan Diary: A Selection of Works, published by Presses du réel in 2014. Their formal vocabulary has been borrowed from Steven Parrino—though they have dropped the American artist's dramatic, deathlike dimension, as well as his elements of mannerism and folkloric post-punk and biker spirit.

In 2000 he created M19, a press devoted to contemporary art. Since then, he has acted as both editor and artistic director for art books and journals such as: MAP (a pamphlet poster distributed in galleries at the beginning of the 2000s, 1200 copies), AH AH AH a creative journal, 20/27 a critical art review, 2870 Grams of Art an art journal, and I.S. Inventaire Supplémentaire, a collection of art books.

Career

edit

Pierre Denan is the author of Pourquoi Tom Cruise (2007),[1] a text with which he defined the "news ticker tale" concept, a genre inspired by the continuous display of news items at the bottom of some news channel screens. Book 1 was published in 2010; Book 2, in 2015; Book 3 is currently in progress. He is also the author of Libre[2] –a series of four texts that were printed as booklets and made available to the public in galleries and other Paris-based contemporary art venues from 2002 to 2005–, of Paradis (2015),[3] and Voilà, A Collection, Notes for the Book to Come (2016).

His artwork is exhibited at Multiples Gallery, Paris, on the Internet, and in art journals. He is the author of artist's books.[4] The generic titles of the different open works in progress in the framework of his art are: "Opening themes series", "Variations Marshall", and "Miss Manga Project". According to the artist, Miss Manga, a manipulated, black, monochromatic painting, forms the central part of his visual journal. This artwork is in part gathered in Pierre Denan Diary, a Selection of Works (2014).[5]

In 2000 he created M19 Editions (May 19),[6] which is devoted to contemporary art. The aim is for artists to release their unpublished works, critics and art historians to generate studies on art that is currently in progress, as well as "to bring theoretical criticism to the panorama of francophone reviews and direct access to artworks".[7][8] Denan creates and publishes books and journals, acting as both editor and art director.

In 2015, he founded JakeAfterShow, a creative studio, whose name evokes the legend of an image of Jake, a guy we can imagine sitting on a couch after a fashion show, a party, perhaps photographed by Nan Goldin—, and which has the following baseline: we make stories. It will produce a print and web magazine in 2017.

About Pourquoi Tom Cruise, Denan has written:

The news ticker tale Pourquoi Tom Cruise is a stroke, a flow with a form inspired by the continuous display of titles and dispatching of new media on the news channel screens. It is a narrative composed of elements hailing from online newsfeeds—a hot spot for fiction—, borrowings from literature, references to films, music, and art, but also of a whole fictional, original context. It is characterized by the predictability of its contents, ceaselessly reverting to what has already been uttered. As the tale’s main character—and non-subject—Tom Cruise incarnates the paranoid, unabashed, terrorized, organized, young, sustainable hyperme of our hypermodern times. Here is a hyperCruise, a hypercharacter, the absolute trademark of "modernity heightened to a superlative power",[9] but also, the mask behind which I write my own song. Pierre Denan

Selected works

edit

Writer

edit

2002–2005 Libre,[10] M19
2003 Libre in Bordel (review) n° 3 fr:Bordel (revue), Flammarion, Paris
2010 Pourquoi Tom Cruise, book 1,[11] Les presses du Réel, Dijon
2010-today Pierre Denan websites and social networks
2015 Pourquoi Tom Cruise, book 2, Les presses du Réel, Dijon
2015 Paradis in Le Cafard Hérétique, n° 5,
2016 Pourquoi Tom Cruise, reading,[12] book 2, extract, Palais de Tokyo, Paris
2016 Voilà, Une collection, work in progress, forthcoming
2016 Pourquoi Tom Cruise, reading,[13] Centre Pompidou, Paris, September 15
2018 Pourquoi Tom Cruise, book 3
2018-2020 Journal, Pierre Denan Journal

Artist

edit

1998 Personnes en quête d’un divertissement, short-film (actor, director)
2002 Poulet Poulet,[14] artist book, M19
2002 R. Thomas,[15] artist book, I.S. Inventaire Supplémentaire collection,[16] M19
2003 JE,[17] artist book, M19
2005 Dragon Eye,[18] artist book, M19
2005 Come Again, performances at Galerie du Forum and Les Abattoirs, Toulouse
2007 2860 Grams of art,[19] artists's magazine, M19 (artworks)
2008 2870 Grams of art,[20][21] artists's magazine, M19 (artworks)
2010-today Pierre Denan websites and social networks[22][23]
2011 AH AH AH, artists's magazine, M19 (artworks), read the magazine online
2011 Pour le Mur, exhibition, solo show, Galerie de Multiples,[24] Paris
2014 Pierre Denan Diary, a selection of works, Les presses du réel, Dijon
2015 « Mauvais Genre » exhibition,[25] group show, Addict Gallery, Paris
2017 « Road is a road is a road… » exhibition, group show, GDM Galerie de Multiples, Paris
2017 « Culbuteurs » exhibition, group show, Le Garage, Paris
2018 « Blind-Marché », a group show curated by Samuel Boutruche for Le Consultat, Ramapano, Paris
2019 « It’s a Wonderful Life », Group Show, Gilles Drouault Galerie/Multiples

Publisher

edit

2000 The birth of M19 editions (May 19)[26]
2000–2004 MAP,[27] contemporary art critic, M19
2002–2009 « I.S. Inventaire Supplémentaire » collection,[28] artists's books, M19
2007 2860 Grams of art, artists's magazine, M19
2008 2870 Grams of art,[29] artists's magazine, M19
2007–2012 20/27,[30] art critic, with Michel Gauthier and Arnauld Pierre, M19
2011 AH AH AH,[31] artists's magazine, M19

References

edit
  1. ^ Pierre Denan, Pourquoi Tom Cruise, récit prompteur (news ticker tale), book 1 2010, book 2 2015, Les presses du réel, Dijon.
  2. ^ Libre in Bordel n° 3, 2004, Flammarion, Paris
  3. ^ Pierre Denan, Paradis, Le Cafard Hérétique, n° 5 2015
  4. ^ In 2013, he was among the artists chosen to exhibit at « B.A.B.E., The Best Artists Books and Editors », from 21 September to 26 October 2013, Immanence, Paris
  5. ^ Pierre Denan Diary, a selection of works, 2014, Les presses du réel, Dijon
  6. ^ M19 editions Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, contemporary art books and works by artists, Paris
  7. ^ Vanessa Morisset, La diffusion de l'art à travers ses revues, Centre Pompidou, Direction de l'action éducative et des publics, avril 2009
  8. ^ fr:20/27 (revue), annual magazine of critical texts on art published by M19, 2007–2012, Paris
  9. ^ Gilles Lipovetsky, Sébastien Charles, Les Temps hypermodernes, 2006, Grasset, Paris
  10. ^ Céline Riotte, L'Œil libre de Pierre Denan, 2009
  11. ^ Emily Barnett, Pourquoi Tom Cruise, book 1 in Les Inrocks, June 2010
  12. ^ Reading of an extract from Pourquoi Tom Cruise, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, March 14, 2016. Video with english subtitles.
  13. ^ Reading of an extract from Pourquoi Tom Cruise, Centre Pompidou, Paris, September 15, 2016
  14. ^ Pierre Denan, Poulet Poulet, 2010, M19 editions, Paris
  15. ^ Pierre Denan, R. Thomas, 2002, M19 editions, Paris
  16. ^ Philippe Dagen, Deux ouvrages prennent la publicité au piège de ses propres images in Le Monde, April 19, 2002, Paris
  17. ^ Pierre Denan, JE, 2003, M19 editions, Paris
  18. ^ Pierre Denan, Dragon Eye, 2005, M19 editions, Paris
  19. ^ 2860 Grams of art, a creation magazine published by M19, Grams of art presents in large size original artworks by international artists, following one after another, without editorial information printed over the actual work. Titles and credits are given at the end of the magazine.
  20. ^ 2870 Grams of artpresents 34 artworks by 24 artists
  21. ^ Pierre Denan, Olivier Mosset, 2008, photo Barry X Ball, 10 times, series published in 2870 Grams of art and used by the fr:Centre culturel suisse to announce a discussion between Olivier Mosset and Marc-Olivier Wahler, 21 January 2014
  22. ^ Pierre Denan, Manzoni, 180°, 2008 ; Pierre Denan, Rien 2014, Covers & Citations
  23. ^ Visual diary – So You Think You Can Dance?
  24. ^ Pierre Denan, Pour le mur, 2011, Galerie de multiples, Paris
  25. ^ Pierre Denan, Sustainable Monochrome – L’Art tendu sur la toile, 2014, trash bags on canvas, Opening Themes series, 65 x 81 cm and Pierre Denan, Rrose Sélavy insists she loves turning 94, « I feel good » Rrose says, 2014, oval frame, sandpaper, Opening Themes series, 50 x 60 cm
  26. ^ Vanessa Morisset, La diffusion de l'art à travers ses revues, bibliothèque Kandinsky, Centre Pompidou, Paris
  27. ^ MAP art critic, 2002–2004, M19, Paris
  28. ^ I.S. Inventaire Supplémentaire, artists's books, 2002–2009, M19 editions, Paris
  29. ^ 2870 Grams of art, 2008, M19 editions, Paris
  30. ^ 20/27, annual magazine of critical texts, 2007–2012, M19 editions, Paris
  31. ^ AH AH AH, artists's magazine 2011, M19, Paris
edit