Dearest Emma, I miss you, and think it is time that we get back to work…
About four years ago, in the midst of the pandemic’s early days with no one knowing what the future could have held, I received a letter from Marc Camille Chaimowicz, whom I had assisted, about a decade prior, on a Madame Bovary publication by Four Corner Books. It was an invitation and an auspice for a new work, an extension or continuum of the Emma B project. ‘There is more, as yet to be done’, he wrote. And when Chaimowicz calls, you might want to run! If only for taking incommensurable pleasure in the fruits of his labor.
What followed in epistolary form, were images of blooms and moons, and a photographic assignment of Emma Bovary dreaming-and-living California scenarios. The application of a red lipstick and Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium perfume, Emma devouring fashion magazines such as Vogue (Paris edition preferable) and the Financial Times’ ‘How to Spend It’ supplement, the serving of a fruit salad from a large glass bowl, picking wild flowers while kneeling (with the offer of sending paper ones if not readily available), Emma laying on a carpet, wistfully perusing travel guides, languidly window shopping. Her beloved’s hand caressing the inside of her wrist – a moment redolent of tenderness. And lots and lots of jewelry, begged, borrowed and possibly stolen, some worn and some displayed.
Dear Marc Camille, If only I, Emma, had known the places my longing would have took me. If only, If only…
Emma’s technicolor reverie has landed in Los Angeles in all its melancholic, dreaminess and sumptuousness. Entrapped in her solitude, Emma looks outwards, wistfully…into a landscape, so sublime, so troubling, echoing her own existential dilemmas.
Luckily for me, a few pictures I took made it into the Emma pantheon, with Marc Camille seemingly pleased about her wardrobe choices and that dear Emma hadn’t forfeited her shopaholic ways, even during lockdown. On view at Gaga Los Angeles as part of a suite of collages made over the past two years, these images combine fragments of fashion magazines, literary prints, advertising and illustrations, overlapping lace, legs, jewelry and work by other artists in a sophisticated layering of Flaubertian flavor. Borne out of Bovarysme – the condition of domination by such an idealized, glamorized, glorified, or otherwise unreal conception of oneself resulting in dramatic personal conflict, paranoia or tragedy – the collages contribute to an intimate, psychological portrait. If in Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, the restrictions of Emma’s inner life are narrated through the description of domestic interiors, in Chaimowicz’s exhibition, a selection of everyday objects – a flower vase, a frutero, folding screens, a magazine rack and a few rugs – accumulates into the depiction of interior life stills, imbued with sentimental depth. The artists offers us a lens onto the pathos and nostalgia we project onto tour nearest objects, those we choose to re-present us, to tell stories with.
Thanks to Chaimowicz, Flaubert’s anti-heroine had never felt so chic, even if trapped in a life constricted by the conservative conventions of her time. Consumerism (shopping!), seduction (the excitement of ill-fated affairs!) and a world of imagination (ever relieving!) offer our Emma, and ourselves, a sentimental escape from a bleak, monotone reality evocative of both pandemic times, and the doom of current ones. Chaimowicz’s world of interiors continues to form my sentimental education, inviting to observe our own melodramas as much as the possibility of elsewhere. I only wish Emma would have stuck around long enough to experience that, too.
– Marta Fontolan
Installation
views
Works
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.1
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.3
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.5
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.7
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.11
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.13
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.15
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.17
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.19
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.21
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.23
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
E.B. in L.A., no.1
1993 / 2023 – 2024
Emulsion on paper and C-type gloss print
33.11 x 23.39 inches
84.1 x 59.4 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Coffee Table Pink, 2024
Wood, marble
21.65 x 34.84 x 25.59 inches
55 x 88.5 x 65 cm
Series of 3
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Coffee Table Lilac, 2024
Wood, marble
21.65 x 34.84 x 25.59 inches
55 x 88.5 x 65 cm
Series of 3
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Coffee Table Green, 2024
Wood, marble
21.65 x 34.84 x 25.59 inches
55 x 88.5 x 65 cm
Series of 3
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Ashtray, 2015
Glazed earthenware ashtray
1.38 x 6.5 inches
3.5 x 16.5 cm
Edition 23/30, 5AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Studies For Two Bedroom Rugs, 2015
Set of two wool rugs
Rugs
37.4 x 70.87 inches
95 x 180 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Fontana…, 2020
Wool, natural dye
47.24 x 85.04 inches 120 x 216 cm
Edition 2/3, 1AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Berries, possibly…, 2020
Wool, natural dye
68.5 x 44.88 inches
174 x 114 cm
Edition 3/3, 1AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
A Flock of Birds, 2023
Enameled stoneware
8.27 x 7.87 x .47 inches
21 x 20 x 1.2 cm
Series of 14 + 2 AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
A Flock of Birds, 2023
Enameled stoneware
8.27 x 7.87 x .47 inches
21 x 20 x 1.2 cm
Series of 14 + 2 AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
A Flock of Birds, 2023
Enameled stoneware
8.27 x 7.87 x .47 inches
21 x 20 x 1.2 cm
Series of 14 + 2 AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Gabriela Fruit Bowl, 2024
Enameled ceramic
6.69 x 17.32 inches
17 x 44 cm
Series of 9, 1/3 AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Vase Fernando, 2024
Enameled ceramic
11.81 x 7.48 inches
30 x 19 cm
Series of 9, 1/3 AP
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Venezia, 2016
Bronze, patina
9.06 x 8.66 x 6.69 inches
23 x 22 x 17 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Folding Decorative Screen, 1985/2011
Acrylic on MDF
Dimensions variable
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Piano Stool (Burgundy), 2014
Walnut and velvet
12.6 x 16.54 x 17.72 inches
32 x 42 x 45 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Piano stool (Sage), 2014
Walnut and velvet
12.6 x 16.54 x 17.72 inches
32 x 42 x 45 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Nine Boards for J.G., 2011
Acrylic on plywood
97.99 x 45.98 x .51 inches
248.9 x 116.8 x 1.3 cm each
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Lamp 11, 2014
Collage on fabric, wood and metal
66.93 x 17.72 x 17.72 inches
170 x 45 x 45 cm
Marc Camille Chiamowicz
Magazine rack, 2014
Steinless steel and wood
18.11 x 17.91 x 8.46 inches
46 x 45.5 x 21.5 cm
Edition 3/5, 2
Works
Josef Strau
17h 03m / -55°, 1993
Reversed chromogenic print
11.81 x 7.87 inches
30 x 20 cm
1 part of 64
Ana Pellicer
El sabor del poder, 2009
Copper
26.38 x 5.71 x 11.02 inches
67 x 14.5 x 28 cm
Ana Pellicer
Celeste rumbo a la escuela, 1996
Copper
24.8 x 16.54 x 9.84 inches
63 x 42 x 25 cm
Ana Pellicer
Emperador Caltzontzin, 1996
Copper
24.8 x 24.41 x 8.66
inches 63 x 62 x 22 cm
Josef Strau
Music Stand 5, 2016
Iron, aluminum, enamel glass lacquer and poster
59.84 x 23.23 x 19.29 inches
152 x 59 x 49 cm
Josef Strau
Music Stand 4, 2016
Iron, tin, wooden beads, enamel and marker
64.17 x 24.41 x 17.13 inches
163 x 62 x 43.5 cm
Josef Strau
Music Stand 1, 2016
Metal structure, weld and lacquer
65.35 x 23.03 x 22.05 inches
166 x 58.5 x 56 cm
Jack Pierson
Thrive, 2009
Metal and plastic
74 x 39 x 4 inches
188 x 99.1 x 10.2 cm
Heji Shin
Camp Habibi IX, 2013
Archival ink jet print
Framed 57.09 x 47.24 inches (145 x 120 cm)
Edition 1/3, 2AP
Heji Shin
Camp Habibi V, 2013
Archival ink jet print
Framed 57.09 x 47.24 inches (145 x 120 cm)
Edition 2/3, 2AP
Heji Shin
Camp Habibi I, 2013
Archival ink jet print
Framed 57.09 x 47.24 inches (145 x 120 cm)
Edition 1/3, 2AP
Heji Shin
Camp Habibi IV, 2013
Archival ink jet print
Framed 57.09 x 47.24 inches (145 x 120 cm)
Edition 1/3, 2AP
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Magazine rack, 2014
Steinless steel and wood
18.11 x 17.91 x 8.46 inches
46 x 45.5 x 21.5 cm
Edition 3/5, 2
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Studies For Two Bedroom Rugs, 2015
Set of two wool rugs
Rugs
37.4 x 70.87 inches
95 x 180 cm
Base
12.4 x 76.97 x 39.57 inches
31.5 x 195.5 x 100.5 cm
Ana Pellicer
Hacha recostada, 1998
Hammered brass and polished iron
55.12 x 14.57 x 15.75 inches
140 x 37 x 40 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Notre-Dame des Fleurs, 2021
Silk screen, acrylic ink, and embroidery on silk
24.02 x 20.08 x 1.18 inches
61 x 51 x 3 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Spice Container, 2018
Sterling silver
2.56 x 5.51 x 2.56 inches
6.5 x 14 x 6.5 cm
Edition 2/2, 1AP
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Untitled, 1988
Charcoal, pastel and collage
16.69 x 12.09 inches
42.4 x 30.7 cm
Framed Size: 21.85 x 15.75 x 1.38
inches 55.5 x 40 x 3.5 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Untitled, 1988
Charcoal and pastel
16.54 x 11.61 inches
42 x 29.5 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Ashtray, 2015
Glazed earthenware ashtray
1.38 x 6.5 inches
3.5 x 16.5 cm
Edition 19/30, 5AP
Heji Shin
Camp Habibi III, 2013
Archival ink jet print
Framed 57.09 x 47.24 inches (145 x 120 cm)
Edition 1/3, 2AP
Heji Shin
Camp Habibi III, 2013
Archival ink jet print
Framed 57.09 x 47.24 inches (145 x 120 cm)
Edition 1/3, 2AP
Karla Kaplun
Laila Saida, 2022
Oil on canvas, lamp
23.62 x 23.62 inches
60 x 60 cm
Painting
Lamp
Signed on verso
Marc Camille and Fernando took a road trip to Santa Clara last July and were clearly impressed by both the studio of Ana Pellicer and the local skill of beaten copper.
Ana was accordingly invited to oversee the realization of a copper lampshade and later also to feature in Marc Camille’s first show with Gaga, the principle of which is that all the work has been produced accordingly to a breadth of Mexican craft skills. These including earthenware, metalwork, embroidery and loom weave.
The exception being two child chairs and two vases both realized last year, again following Marc Camille’s design, in collaboration with Gallerie NEU in Berlin.
The exhibition is completed by a suite of photographs taken in Mexico last July and a contribution by Bernadette Corporation.
Although the show is complete many chapters will hopefully follow, a trip to Xilitla is the next plan, and who knows where this might take us. It starts with ideas and drawings that become prototypes and reasons to engage in local production and craftsmanship. Therefore, this might just be the prologue of a fruitful and enjoyable collaboration between Marc Camille Chaimowicz and GAGA?
Installation
views
Works
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Ashtray, 2015
Glazed earthenware ashtray 1.38 x 6.5 inches
3.5 x 16.5 cm
Edition 1/30, 5
Ana Pellicer
Hacha recostada, 1998
Hammered brass and polished iron
55.12 x 14.57 x 15.75 inches
140 x 37 x 40 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Studies For Two Bedroom Rugs, 2015
Set of two wool rugs
Rugs
37.4 x 70.87 inches
95 x 180 cm
Base
12.4 x 76.97 x 39.57 inches
31.5 x 195.5 x 100.5 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
The Second Poncho, 2015
Painted wool poncho and copper tube
41.73 x 46.65 x .98 inches
106 x 118.5 x 2.5 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Prototype For Lacquered Child Chairs, 1989-2013
Wood and enamel
21.26 x 14.96 x 16.93 inches
Each 54 x 38 x 43 cm Each
Edition 2/5, 2
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Prototype For Lacquered Child Chairs, 1989-2013
Wood and enamel
21.26 x 14.96 x 16.93 inches
Each 54 x 38 x 43 cm Each
Edition 2/5, 2
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Santa Clara, 2014-2015
Hammered brass lampshade and chain Lampshade:
39.37 x 27.56 inches
100 x 70 cm
Chain
98.43 x 2.17 inches
250 x 5.5 cm
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Magazine rack, 2014
Steinless steel and wood Rack
18.11 x 17.91 x 8.46 inches
46 x 45.5 x 21.5 cm
Base
7.09 x 27.56 x 27.56 inches
18 x 70 x 70 cm
Edition 1/5, 2
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
The First Poncho, 2015
Embroidered wool poncho and copper tube
39.37 x 46.65 x .98 inches
100 x 118.5 x 2.5 cm
Bernadette Corporation
Untitled Fashion Shoot (Japanese), 2000
Silver gelatine print 31.89 x 37.4
inches 81 x 95 cm
Edition 2/2
Bernadette Corporation
Untitled Fashion Shoot (Vase, Hand), 2000
Silver gelatine print 37.4 x 31.89
inches 95 x 81 cm
Edition 2/2
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
Rose vase, 2014
Glazed ceramic
10.24 x 7.09 inches 26 x 18 cm
Edition 2/5
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
The First Set of Prints, 2014
Set of 13 photo prints 4 x 6 inches
Each 10.2 x 15.2 cm Each Edition 1/5, 2
Marc Camille Chaimowicz
1 of 4 Secession Patterns, 2009
Wall Pattern Variable