SAKS presents the first solo show in Switzerland of New York artist Gary Simmons: Double Feature.
The work of Gary Simmons draws its thematic in the depths of American culture. 1930's cartoons, classic horror movies or blockbusters – the hegemony of white American culture is mediated by a mainstream culture that is nowadays globalized. The messages implied in the images seen by the viewer allow a second lecture, which, if not directly perceptible, will yet be the one remaining in the blurr of the memory.
On monochrome surfaces, reminiscences of school's blackboards, symbols of the education given by the schoolmaster, Gary Simmons traces his chalk like drawings, before partially erasing them with his fingertips or a simple hand gesture. The shape disappears but remains visible. The paint on the canvas or the charcoal on the paper create streaks similar to the vortex of a cyclone, or flammes of fire, around the object. The initially static image becomes dynamic through the erasure process, which enhances the creative act : the work seems to be the residue of a performance the viewer did not attend.
Ghosts in motion, sliding over canvas or paper, alike souvenirs hauting our memories, Gary Simmons' paintings are like apparitions : they are fragments of memories back from our subconscious.