Pierre-Alexandre Savriacouty: Iceberg Process 5
Exhibition
Pierre-Alexandre Savriacouty, D-3F (detail), 2023. Paint, polycarbonate, cement, egg tempera, pigment, malachite, snail shells, aluminum, and caput mortuum. 80 x 40 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
Chicago Manual Style and Tala present the first US solo exhibition of Malagasy -French artist and Villa Albertine 2022 resident Pierre-Alexandre Savriacouty (b. 1993 France, lives/works in Paris) , Iceberg Process 5, opening Friday, June 28, 2024, curated by Stephanie Cristello.
Amid his sculptures and two-dimensional works, Savriacouty often incorporates organic forms—from archways fabricated from the cross-section of thinly dissected shells, unveiling their fractal geometry hidden within, to works on paper embellished with dragonfly wings—alongside industrial materials such as iron, concrete, and manufactured plastics. Delving into ancestral myth and the spiritual symbolism present within material histories, Savriacouty’s work navigates themes of disappearance, memory, and identity. Guided by a series of sculptures the artist terms ‘anchors,’ assemblages made from deconstructed chandeliers that combine found industrial and natural materials selected for their ability to float or sink when submerged in water, Iceberg Process 5 presents the fifth iteration of Savriacouty’s poetic attempts to recall the past.
This exhibit is the culmination of his month-long Villa Albertine residency in Chicago in September 2022, where he drew inspiration and established connections that shaped this show. Savriacouty previously showcased his work in September 2023 at 6018 North as part of the exhibition Water, a segment of French Perspectives at the Chicago Architecture Biennial. He is also planning another exhibition soon at the same location .
About the Artist
Pierre-Alexandre Savriacouty (b. 1993 France, lives/works in Paris) has exhibited at the Monnaie de Paris (2023), Centre d’Art Contemporain Chanot (2022), the Biennale Internationale de Saint Paul de Vence (2021), and the Frac Ile-de-France, Château de Rentilly (2020). He is also a laureate of the 2021 SARR Prize, which included a month-long residency in Chicago in 2022 as part of the Villa Albertine residency program. He recently completed participation in a research program for socially engaged practice presented jointly by the Centre Pompidou (Paris), HKW (Berlin), and the Centre de Cultura Contemporània (Barcelona).
He is a graduate of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris and the École des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier, where he worked for director and writer Rodrigo Garcia.
In partnership with
Chicago Manual of Style
Chicago Manual Style and P.S. (Publishing Services) is a non-commercial exhibit space in Chicago.
Director / Curator Stephanie Cristello (b. 1991, Canada) is a contemporary art critic, curator, and author based in Chicago, IL. Her work focuses on artists who critically engage with the image and its role in visual culture. She graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013 with a Liberal Arts Thesis in Visual Critical Studies. Cristello was previously the Senior Editor US for ArtSlant (2012–18) and the founding Editor-in-Chief of THE SEEN, Chicago’s International Journal of Contemporary & Modern Art (2013–20).
Her writing has been published in ArtReview, BOMB Magazine, Elephant Magazine, Frieze Magazine, Mousse Magazine, OSMOS, and Portable Gray. She has delivered panels at the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for Architecture, Independent Curators International (ICI), the Terra Foundation for American Art, Manifest Institute, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and Nordic Talks. Cristello served as the Artistic Director of EXPO CHICAGO (2013–2020) and is currently the Director / Curator at Chicago Manual Style (Chicago) and Curator-at-Large at Kasmin (New York).
Beaux-Arts de Paris
Founded in 1817, the Beaux-Arts de Paris is both a publishing house and a center of artistic training, experimentation, exhibitions, and conservation of historical and contemporary collections. The Beaux-Arts de Paris trains high-level artists and is an essential part of the international contemporary art scene.
SARR Collection
Catherine and Mamadou-Abou Sarr passionately collect and support Art Initiatives and institutions in the U.S., France and West Africa. With a large focus on contemporary photography, the SARR Collection spans over seventy years of production, crossing over into mediums of painting and sculpture with work from iconic artists but also focusing on emerging artists. In 2021, they created the SARR Prize in partnership with Les Beaux-Arts Paris to support and empower artists at an early stage in their practices.
