Pierre-Alexandre Savriacouty: Iceberg Process 5
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.
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.