Croy Nielsen

Benoît Maire develops his works in the interstice of art, philosophy, showing, and thinking. His paintings, sculptures, videos, and installations seek an experimental, practical approach to basic theoretical questions of aesthetics. In Maire’s work, ideas find their translation in the form of images and objects. His series of cloud paintings, begun in 2012, are devoted to the art-historical motif of the cloud, as a means of analysing painting and its possibilities. The combination of flat sprayed clouds and irregularly applied, coarser paint enables the artist to ensure that the eyes of the viewer, like the clouds themselves, remain in motion across the canvas. A further interest is the visual translation of philosophical deliberations by authors such as Alain Badiou, Arthur C. Danto, Jacques Derrida or Gilles Deleuze. Here, a classification of the concept occurs not only on the picture surface itself, but also semiotically beyond it.

Benoît Maire (b. 1978 in France, lives and works in Bordeaux). Recent and upcoming solo exhibitions include: Croy Nielsen, Vienna; Fondazione Volume, Rome (both 2022); Château La Borie, Solignac (2019), Spike Island, Bristol; CAPC, Bordeaux (both 2018); Kunstverein Bielefeld (2016), One Star Press, Paris (2015); David Roberts Art Foundation, London (2013). Recent and upcoming group shows include: Les Tanneries (2022); CAPC, Bordeaux; Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen (both 2020); Collection Lambert, Avignon; GAK Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst, Bremen (both 2019); Baltic Triennale, Vilnius; Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen; Galeria Municipal do Porto, Porto (all 2018); Kunstverein München (2017); Kunsthalle Wien (2016).

In 2016 Croy Nielsen moved from Berlin to Vienna, where it is located in the beletage apartment of a historical building on Parkring in the 1st district. The gallery was founded by Oliver Croy and Henrikke Nielsen in Berlin, and the program grew out of the discourse that took place there. Artists such as Nina Beier, Marie Lund, and Benoît Maire, who have been part of the gallery since its inception, were later joined by artists such as Olga Balema, Georgia Gardner Gray, and more recently Sandra Mujinga. The gallery also represents the Estate of Albert Mertz, and Vienna-based artists include Ernst Yohji Jaeger, Birke Gorm, Nicolas Jasmin, and Soshiro Matsubara.