Marion Balac (b.1984) is graduate of ENSBA Lyon and Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne.
Her work explores the impulses and interactions between feelings and technology, approaching them through a variety of media as a means to investigate the struggles and bonds between individual and mass behaviours. Observing how internet accompanies its users and their communication devices in a neverending search for distraction and validation, she probes online facilities and diverts them through strategies of reappropriation. A globalized online tourist, she travels dynamic playgrounds and encounters fictionalized personas and places, new landscapes that she can study and explore within and outside the screen.
Gathering structures such as touristic sites, themes parks, internet forums, user-generated content websites interests her as they intend to duplicate traditional community interactions. Might the touristic spot be a crazy copy of itself ; might the egos be fed by technological storytelling ; might our communications be fictionalized: the gap between what is perceived online from people or places and their actual qualities becomes the starting point of her investigation and the core of her works, where behind a deadpan humour often rises melancholy.
Her work has been included in group exhibitions and screenings at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac (Paris Pantin) for Jeune Création, Fabra i Coats - Centre d'Art Contemporani (Barcelona), LOOP Barcelona, Annka Kultys Gallery (London), Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), Enclave Projects (London), Paradise Works (Manchester), Bandits-Mages (Bourges), Espace des Blancs-Manteaux (Paris), l’Abbaye (Annecy-le-Vieux), Galerie Neuf (Nancy), Hectoliter Gallery (Brussels), Musée Saint-Raymond (Toulouse). She has had the possibility to develop her work in residencies like Espositivo and Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, Salón Bellefour in Buenos Aires or Hangar in Barcelona.
"Marion Balac uses unusual data, situations or objects as a base to produce fictions that reveal the landscapes and horizons of a globalised world. Her artworks, tender and dark at the same time, show how stories generated by the connected and ultra-contemporary culture fall within physical or online sites."
Caroline Delieutraz and Stephanie Vidal for Making Contact exhibition.
(fr) "Marion Balac transforme des étonnements provoqués par des données, des situations ou des objets en dispositifs fictionnels qui révèlent les paysages et horizons d'un monde globalisé. Ses pièces, à la fois tendres et grinçantes, montrent comment des récits issus de la culture ultra-contemporaine et connectée s'inscrivent dans des lieux physiques ou en ligne. "
Caroline Delieutraz et Stephanie Vidal pour l'exposition Making Contact.
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SOLO SHOWS
2017 Alejandro, Galerie WTA, Barcelona, ES.
2015 Pleine saison, Galerie Le Toutou Chic, Metz, FR.
2013 Décantation, JHB Fondation Royale, Bruxelles, BE.
2010 Animal Catastrophe, Kiosque Images, Paris, FR.
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS & EVENTS
Upcoming:
Mission To Touch The Sun: Sun Burnt, group show curated by K.P.Culver and William Noel Clarke, Paradise Works, Manchester (UK), February 2019.
Off Site Project Google Maps Residency, feb-march 2019.
2018
Produir, produir, produï(t), group show curated by Xavier Acarín y Carolina Ciuti, Reial Cercle Artístic, LOOP Festival, Barcelona, ES.
Inside Intel, group show curated by Elliott Burns, India Murphy and Jake Charles Rees, St James Hatcham, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK.
Terms and Conditions May Apply, group show curated by Bob Bicknell-Knight, Annka Kultys Gallery, London, UK.
Young dealers event at Sotheby's, Sotheby’s, 76, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris, FR.
Mission To Touch The Sun, group show curated by K.P.Culver and William Noel Clarke, Enclave, London, UK.
No es lo que aparece, group show curated by Virginia Torrente, Xavier Acarín Wieland and Pedro Torres, Fabra i Coats - Centre d'Art Contemporani, Barcelona, ES.
T T C, screening, festival OVNi, La station, Nice, FR.
Résidence, online show curated by Bérénice Serra, IN.
Far away treasure, group show curated by Quim Packard, Espai Nyam nyam, Barcelona, ES.
Gimmick 2, group show curated by Antoni Hervás, Tienda Derecha, San Andreu Contemporani, Barcelona, ES.
Les prix Vitrine-65 de Jeune Création 2017, group show, Vitrine-65, Paris, FR.
Photo18, festival, Halle 622, Zurich-Oerlikon, CH.
DIS[ ] : ARBITRATION Pavilion, online exhibition, The Wrong - New Digital Art Biennale, IN.
2017
Jeune Création 67, group show, Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, Pantin, FR.
White Screen 3, Jeune Création online exhibition curated by Carine Klonowski, Kévin Cadinot & Julien Toulze, IN.
Making contact, Ko Projects, online exhibition curated by Caroline Delieutraz and Stéphanie Vidal, IN.
Festival Saison Video, Saison Video #41, Tourismes, curated by Mo Gourmelon, IN.
Un mundo ideal, group show curated by Julia Morandeira, Jesus Alcaide and Antoni Hervas, Fabra i Coats - Centre d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, ES.
UnderLOOP, group show curated by Amanda Caminals, Cine Avenida de la Luz, LOOP, Barcelona, ES.
Crowd workers, Unsterblichkeit und Post-Fotografie, group show, 21es Journées photographiques de Bienne, Galerie Le Grenier, Bienne, CH.
Под земја полесно се дише 5, group show, Kula, Skopje, MA.
Quand Denis rencontre Philippe, group show, Chaideny, Clamart, FR.
Le Merveilleux, group show, Abbaye Royale du Montcel, Pontpoint, FR.
Paper Tigers Collection & Co, group show curated by Mathieu Tremblin, Syndicat Potentiel, Strasbourg, FR.
Paratext 14, talk and screening, Hangar, Barcelona, ES.
2016
Variation, curated by Dominique Moulon, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, FR.
Fictions Réelles, group show, Le 100 ecs, Paris, FR.
Festival Imagine, talk and performance, invitation by Frédéric Martel for Soft Power, Centre Pompidou, Paris (FR).
Open, group show curated by Manon Klein and BLBC, Galerie T2, Paris, FR.
10x10, group show, Ourcq Blanc, Paris, FR.
5th Khorshid Film Festival, screening, Téhéran, IR.
Écran Libre, screening, Moon, Foff Angoulême, FR.
2015
Variation, curated by Dominique Moulon, Espace des Blancs-Manteaux, Paris, FR.
Carnets d'été, group show, Galerie Louise, Le Pré Saint Gervais, FR.
La fin des cartes ?, group show curated by Isabelle Arvers, Curry Vavart, Paris, FR.
Ravages, group show curated by Diamètre, Point Éphémère, Paris, FR.
Promenons-nous..., group show curated by Caroline Delieutraz and Géraldine Miquelot, Abbaye d'Annecy-le-Vieux, FR.
Racines, group show, Galerie Mathilde C, Paris, FR.
2014
Entre les arbres, group show, Galerie Entre, Paris, FR.
Éditons, group show, Collectif Blanc - Nomad, Montréal, CAN.
6 weekends d'art contemporain, group show, Galerie Neuf, Nancy, FR.
Il y a loin et cependant, group show, Avant-Travaux, Paris, FR.
2013
Tootem, group show, Société Sauvage/Galerie Lazer Quest, Paris, FR.
Revival, group show, Hectoliter gallery, Bruxelles, BE.
Revival Pavilion, group show, Grad Sofiya, Sofia, BU.
Beware, group show, Workshop, Paris, FR.
Jardins Synthétiques Hors les Murs, group show, La Bellone, Bruxelles, BE.
2012
Orage Titan Fata Morgosa, group show, H2, Paris, FR.
Jardins synthétiques, group show, Musée Saint-Raymond,Toulouse, FR.
Les invités des Atelier Boisson, group show curated by John Deneuve, Marseille, FR.
Which Witch, group show, Le Cagibi, Lille, FR.
Treize Étranges, group show curated by Céline Poulin, Hors les Murs du Parc Saint Léger, Nevers, FR.
Collection classique, group show, Le Pied de Biche, Paris, FR.
2011-2009
Láncszemek, group show, L'Hybride, Lille, FR.
Reputation, group show, Mother Drucker, Berlin, DE.
Bandits-Mages, film festival, Bourges, FR.
Jusqu'ici tout va bien, group show, Forum de l’Image - Espace Croix-Baragnon, Toulouse, FR.
PRIZES, RESIDENCIES AND GRANTS
2019
Offsiteproject.org, online residency, IN.
2018
Espositivo 7B, residency, Madrid, ES.
Ex Asilo Filangieri, residency exchange with Hangar Barcelona, residency and grant, Napoli, IT.
Premi Miquel Casablancas, San Andreu Contemporani, prize, shortlisted, Barcelona, ES.
Hangar, Centro de Producción e Investigación de Artes Visuales, residency, Barcelona, ES.
2017
Hangar, Hangar / Institut Français de Barcelona / Casa de Velázquez, residency and grant, Barcelona, ES.
Can Serrat, residency and full grant, El Bruc, ES.
Jeune Création / nomadgalerie, prize, winner, Paris, FR.
Premi Miquel Casablancas, San Andreu Contemporani, prize, shortlisted, Barcelona, ES.
WT Artspace, residency, Barcelona, ES.
2016
Salon Bellefour, residency, Buenos Aires, AR.
2015
Casa de Velázquez, residency and grant, Madrid, ES.
Villa Belleville, residency, Paris, FR.
2013
Présence Barrée, residency, Grenoble, FR.
GOM / Musée d'Art, residency, Toulon, FR.
EDUCATION
Master 2 (MFA) with honors, Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, FR, 2015.
DNAP (BFA), ENSBA Lyon, FR, 2008.
PUBLICATIONS
isthisit? issue 5, Bob Bicknell-Knight, isthisit?, London, 2018.
L'art au-delà du digital, Dominique Moulon, Nouvelles Éditions Scala, 2018.
Far Away Treasure, Parasitio, Barcelona, 2018.
El común y el ningún, Hangar.org, Barcelona, 2018.
Iceview 03, nList, Skagaströnd Iceland, 2018.
Paratext 2, Hangar, Barcelona, 2018.
Entre Lieux communs et merveilles, Clara Neumann, HEAR, Strasbourg, 2016.
Dadabot. Essay about the hybridization of cultural forms (music, visual arts, literature) produced by digital technologies, Nicolas Nova et Joël Vacheron, Éditions Idpure, 2015.
Early Edition, Bill Kartalopoulos, Nat. Brut, NYC, 2015.
It's Nice That Annual 2013, Company of Parrots, London, 2013.
Revival, Blood Becomes Water #8, Brussels, 2013.
Headache, Éditions du Livre, Strasbourg, 2011.
Massive, Chili Com Carne / Hülülülü, Lisboa, 2010.
RADIO
Internet, Green Text Stories, Dublab.es (02.14.2017)
Soft Power, France Culture (06.05.2016)
TELEVISION
Im künstlichen Soziotop – Disneylands prägender Einfluss, Igor Basic, Kulturplatz, SRF 1, 05.03.2017
TALKS
Paratext 35, Hangar.org, Barcelona, ES, 2019.
Web Cinematics, Loop Studies, Loop Festival, Barcelona, ES, 2018.
Digital Codes— The impact of digital technologies in the production of video art, Loop Studies, Loop Festival, Barcelona, ES, 2018.
Soft Power, Festival Imagine, Centre Pompidou, Paris, FR, 2016.
PRESS
El cine Avenida de la Luz reabre para arte, Teresa Sesé, La Vanguardia, 05.03.2017.
Identity, Florian Alexander Schmidt, Agenda Design 3, AGD, 2016.
The Many faces of Camouflage, Jan Babnik, Membrana, 2016.
Data Iconoclast, Paul Wombell, British Journal of Photography, December issue, 2015.
Cabinet of curiosities, IDPURE 38, 2015.
Girls Draw it Better, Monique Todd, Twin Magazine 12, 2015.
Utopies en miniatures, Benjamin Bottemer, Zut! #09, 2014.
Animal Catastrophe, Junko Shibuya, Illustration Japan, 2010.
Animal Catastrophe, Maxime Gueugneau, Kiblind, April issue, 2010.
ONLINE PRESS
2018
5X5 Annka Kultys Gallery - Dateagle
2017
Für Google sind Götter auch nur Menschen - Igor Basic - SRF
Les inquiétantes miscellanées des Journées de Bienne - Caroline Stevan - Le temps
Underloop: videoarte en el subsuelo de Barcelona - Jorge Mauro de Pedro - Culturaca
2016
Villa Belleville - Géraldine Miquelot - Portraits
DADABOT. The role of algorithms in cultural production - Regine Debatty - We-make-money-not-art
Marion Balac - Géraldine Miquelot - Portraits
Un état de la création numérique - Frédéric Martel - France Culture
The Many Faces of Camouflage - Jan Babnik - Membrana
2015
Panorama of drawing in 2015 by Twin Magazine 12
2014
The 'Anonymous Gods' Of GSV - Beckett Mufson - The Creators Project
The Anonymous Gods Of GSV - John Brownlee - Fast Company / Co.Design
Has facial recognition paranoia gotten stupid? - Greg Stevens - The Daily Dot
Marion Balac - Renaud Monfourny - Les Inrocks
The faces of monuments and statues blurred-out by Google Street View - Maisie Skidmore - It's Nice That
Le visage apparaît dans une troublante nudité - Pierre Ménard - Liminaire
Aujourd’hui est le jour où tu rejoins tes semblables - Mikaël Demets - L'accoudoir
The Faceless Gods Of Google Street View - Robbie Gonzalez - io9
La poésie mystérieuse du dessin contemporain - Julien Verhaeghe - Contemporanéité
Anonymous gods - Spacelab
Anonymous Gods, i volti delle statue offuscate su Google StreetView - Wired
Όλοι είμαστε ίσοι μπροστά στη google - George Tsaknis - Dimar
2013
Stunningly detailed pencil drawings from the prolific Marion Balac - James Cartwright - It's Nice That
Marion Balac on jungle-explorations, suggestive drawings and island dreams - Amber Hsu - Tiny Pencil
Il y a loin et cependant - Smaranda Olcese - Toute la culture
Marion Balac’s Apparitional Void Drawings - Ryan de la Hoz - Beautiful Decay
Marion Balac - Victoria Roussel - Beware
WORKSHOPS
Desktop movies, workshop, Villa du Parc, Annemasse, FR, 2019.
Desktop movies, workshop, ESACM École supérieure d'art de Clermont Métropole, Clermont-Ferrand, FR, 2018.
Facebook sitcom, workshop, Gwinzegal art center, Guingamp, FR, 2018.
Desktop movies, workshop w/ Carine Klonowski, La Gaité Lyrique, Paris, FR. Movie screened in "Ateliers Partagés", exhibition in La Gaité Lyrique, Paris, FR, 2018.
Ona, workshop w/ Serafin Alvarez, San Andreu Contemporani, Barcelona, ES, 2017.
En vacances sur terre, video workshops in Les Côtes pediatric day hospital. Movie screened in "Lumière..." exhibition in L'Onde art center, Vélizy-Villacoublay, FR, 2017.
The island, workshops in Musée régional d'art contemporain Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée (MRAC), Sérignan, FR, 2015.
Print and wear, workshop in Lycée professionnel Claude Nicolas Ledoux, Pavillon-sous-bois, FR, 2014.
Avant la chute de Phaéton, workshops in Musée National de la Renaissance, castle of Écouen, FR, 2013.
Jungles, workshops for Squares event, Art Exprim, Paris, FR, 2012.