CARRON, VALENTIN

* 17.2.1977 Martigny

Born in 1977 in Martigny, the young Valentin Carron attended the Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne, the Lausanne School of Art. At 23 the young artist presented his work for the first time at exhibition in his native Valais, which soon led to a solo show at the Zurich Kunsthalle and even at the Swiss Institute in New York. Finally, in 2009 he exhibited one of his works, a large cross sculpture, at Art Basel. A year later, a solo show was dedicated to Carron at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. The crowning moment came with an exhibition at the Swiss pavilion of the 55th Venice Biennale, for which the artist was selected by the Pro Helvetia Foundation.

As a Swiss artist of the new generation, Valentin Carron understands how to integrate elements of his homeland, the source of his inspiration, into a dialogue with current themes of contemporary art. While he has been able to establish himself successfully as an artist internationally, there is no interest for his work in his homeland. In Fully, the small wine-growing village in the Valais where he lives and works, it has been several years since he presented his work to the public. His works encompass a broad spectrum and range from sculpture, to painting, to installations. The objects are inspired by the scenery and culture of Carron’s homeland, and are charged with symbolic meaning. The artist removes these from their original setting and places them in a new contemporary context. The broad vocabulary of his work focusses on topics such as the formation of identity, cultural transfer, or the change of value at regional or national level. The previous value, which over time has undergone a reinterpretation, is presented for discussion. Without evaluating their previous meaning, Carron revives formerly entrenched values taking various materials and their implementation in their pure form.