Raphaël Zarka
1977, Montpellier, France. Lives and works in Paris, France.
Raphaël Zarka works with the sculptural potential of structures, such as objects that interfere in the urban landscape or instruments from the history of science. Influenced by Minimalism and Land Art, the artist's work is based primarily on a survey of spaces and forms, dictated by his need to organize objects. His familiarity with the dynamics of the surfaces probably results from his previous experience with skateboard, which also affects his experimental approach of the volumes, geometry and materials. He sums up: "If you look at things from a distance and are interested in certain compound forms of curves or orthogonality, for example, you may end up working with materials from a skate park to a sculpture of the early constructivist period, or an observatory in India from the 18th century. This is the real theme of my work: the migration of certain forms in space and time and how the meaning of things changes depending on the context."
Born in Montpellier, France, Raphaël Zarka studied Art at the Winchester School of Art in England, and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He has exhibited in various public and private institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, the Contemporary Art Centre Weiss Gallery in London, the Motive Gallery in Amsterdam, and the Contemporary Art Centre in Saint-Nazaire, France, among others. His work is part of collections such as: Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France; Kadist Art Foundation, Paris, France; Zabludowicz Collection, London, England; Collection Marc & Josée Gensollen, Marseille, France; Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France; MUDAM, Luxembourg.
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Raphael Zarka | Gnomonic Woods
14 June - 2 August 2025Raphaël Zarka grounds his artistic practice in theoretical and scientific research, focusing primarily on the sculptural potential of structures – including volumes and geometries – and their contexts and histories,...Read more -
Rochelle Costi | A casa como laboratório
curated by Alexia Tala 14 June - 2 August 2025How can we learn to see again what lies before our eyes every day? How can we restore depth, mystery and complexity to what we have learned to take for...Read more -
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27 November - 27 February 2015Curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti, Maria Montero and Rafael Vogt Maia Rosa, the show is the last one presented in the space at Gomes de Carvalho street, as in 2016 the gallery will move to a house designed by Rino Levi at Jardim Europa. The selection of works includes pieces by artists such as Regina Silveira, Nelson Leirner, Marina Abramović, Geraldo de Barros, Rochelle Costi, Caio Reisewitz, Thomaz Farkas and Tiago Tebet, exhibited exactly at the same location where they where originally shown in the gallery.Read more