BE THEREFreddie and the Chocolate FactoryPresented by ClampArt May 17, 2007- June 23, 2007Reception: May 17, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmFrédéric LebainClampArt is pleased to announce “Freddie and the Chocolate Factory,” an exhibition of photographs by French artist, Frédéric Lebain.Originally trained as a chef, Lebain then worked as a food stylist before finally becoming a professional photographer. This trajectory is particularly compelling when one considers his newest body of work. Utilizing a traditional confectionary technique for chocolate-coating cakes, Lebain completely covered a variety of objects related to his childhood. First freezing the items for a period of several days, Lebain then employed an airbrush to spray the objects with hot, melted chocolate. Backgrounds for the still-lifes were also coated in a similar fashion, and the resultant photographs, printed on a slightly textured rag paper, have a uniform, velvety finish, providing a distinctly tactile curiosity. Lebain’s subjects include, among other things, a turntable, an Atari game, a disco ball, and an early Apple computer—highly coveted objects of his youth. By covering them in chocolate the artist not only visually accentuates their modernist design, he also plays upon the double-meaning of these objects representing consumable commodities. “Freddie and the Chocolate Factory” is Frédéric Lebain’s first solo show in the United States. He has been exhibiting seriously for nearly a decade with shows throughout Europe and Asia.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||
