press release :: Christian Chaize | Paradis

NEW YORK – Jen Bekman Gallery is pleased to present Paradis, color photographs by Christian Chaize. Paradis is Chaize’s second solo exhibition at the gallery.

 

An opening reception will be held on October 26th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Paradis will be on view October 27th through December 4th, at Jen Bekman Gallery, located at 6 Spring Street, New York, New York.

 

Christian Chaize is once again beach-bound in his new body of work, applying his sharp eye to the enduring, primitive landscape of the Seychelle’s coastline. In Chaize’s prior, acclaimed series, Praia Piquinia, he elegantly captured the variables and subtle nuances of changes in time, tides and weather, over one stretch of land. The pared down images in Paradis, however, honor the sculptural, transcendent landforms prominent on the beach. The resulting landscapes reflect the photographer’s ongoing admiration for--and demand a deeper study of--this surreal terrain.

Gallery founder Jen Bekman notes:

Continuing to deepen his intimate relationship with the land and sea, Chaize uses the lens to contemplate the beach in a more private and reverent manner. Paradis demonstrates his ability to shift subjects and tonal ranges and still manage to coax out details of the beach others might overlook.

Christian Chaize, a self-taught French artist, lives and works in Lyon, France. In 1992, he was awarded the Prix European Panorama de Kodak for Young European Photographer in Arles, France. For the past 20 years, he has had a successful career as a commercial photographer. Recently, however, Chaize became obsessed with a small stretch of coastline in southern Portugal while vacationing there in 2004. It gave new life to his on-going personal work, which began to take precedence over his professional ambitions. His commitment to this series has, thus far, garnered Chaize a one-person gallery exhibition in Lyon and two museum exhibitions in Portugal (Sines and Lisbon). Among other projects, Chaize continues to photograph in Portugal, to understand (or maybe not!) the ineffable draw of its inviting and mysterious landscape. He also delights in observing the unrevealed narratives of the beach goers who, through his lens, share in its magical spell.

Paradis is at Jen Bekman Gallery, 6 Spring Street, New York, New York.
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. or by private appointment.
For additional information and images, email press@jenbekman.com or phone 212.219.0166.