Press Release

All the colours of darkness and paradox in its myriad manifestations is central in Julien Segard’s monumental work, Dark Was the Night, engulfing the entire room of the space it is exhibited in. In the layered folds of the work, lies the betrayal of darkness disguised as light, where what is apparent is equally akin to what is not. The work, installed in folds like a curtain, questions the paradoxical nature of lightness and weight, inside and outside, private and public, where the dimly lit enclosed room acts as a veil for isolation but also allows for permeation and contemplation. Materially too, it confronts paradoxes with a dense foundation in charcoal, juxtaposed with the brilliant delicateness of gold paint. The explosion, seemingly resembled in Dark Was the Night, is as much about the weight and violence of the combustion it depicts as it is about the lightness of release and freedom.

Installation Views

Also Exhibiting at Experimenter

About the Gallery
Experimenter was co-founded by Prateek & Priyanka Raja in 2009. With a multidisciplinary approach, the gallery is an incubator for an ambitious and challenging contemporary practice. The program represents some of the most critical contemporary artists worldwide. Considered to be a ‘pace-setter’ for its region, the program extends from exhibition-making, to knowledge creation, through regular talks, performances, workshops and most importantly, through it’s much acclaimed, annual curatorial intensive, Experimenter Curators’ Hub. In 2016, its artist-book publishing wing, Experimenter Books was launched. Experimenter’s program is rooted in dialogue and dissent. In 2018, the Experimenter Learning Program (ELP) was launched. ELP enables discussion, debate and learning in fields of contemporary and performing arts, curatorship, film, writing, language and social culture. In 2019, Experimenter Outpost an iterative exhibitions program outside the physical gallery where an extension of the program temporarily inhabits disused, characterful spaces was launched. In 2020, Experimenter Labs, an inclusive, experimental, online platform in addition to the onsite gallery programming was launched. Its third space Experimenter – Colaba, established in 2022, underscores the commitment of its discursive programming to Mumbai, a city that in turn represents the diverse pluralities of the region.
View Gallery Profile
Address
45 Ballygunge Place
Ballygunge
Kolkata
India
Opening Hours
10.30 am - 6.30 pm | Tuesday–Saturday
(1)
Kolkata 45 Ballygunge Place, Ballygunge
Experimenter
45 Ballygunge Place, Ballygunge, Kolkata, India
+91 33 4001 2289
http://www.experimenter.in

Opening hours
10.30 am - 6.30 pm | Tuesday–Saturday
The art world in focus