Mathieu Pernot

Venue

Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon (macLyon)

Lyon

Born in 1970 in Fréjus, France
Lives and works in Paris, France

Mathieu Pernot’s photography is rooted in a documentary approach, but one which subverts the protocols to explore alternative modes of storytelling. His method is either to produce photo series — which sometimes resonate with each other in terms of characters, timeframes and themes — or to work with archive images. Whether it is with his own images or by appropriating those of others, Mathieu Pernot examines and explores the many different modes of representation to create multi-voiced narratives.

Part of the Chambres series, photographed in various European cities, Intérieurs, Gennevilliers is a picture of an empty flat whose occupants had moved out shortly before the building was demolished. Only the peeling and torn wallpaper remains of the personal taste of the departed occupants. It depicts a night-time view of Manhattan, New York, — a symbolic evocation of their ideals and aspirations, which are now falling to shreds. In its examination of the relationships between people and places, Mathieu Pernot’s work explores the extent to which photography can preserve memory and convey reality