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.
