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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Julian Charrière: Thickens, Pools, Flows, Rushes, Slows

June 19 – Aug 8, 2020
Poststraße 2/3, 40213 Düsseldorf, Germany

“I use some scientific methods, but I would describe it more as an archaeologist or geologist,” explains Julian Charrière. “I go into the field and get inspired by what I see, then I bring things back to the studio and do work.” A former student of Olafur Eliasson, this Berlin-based artist travels the world, studying how ecosystems are affected by human activity; he then makes art based on his findings. In his Sies + Höke exhibition, Charrière juxtaposes a video of a burning fountain with drone shots of the Arctic’s jagged peaks, mystic glaciers, black skies, and paths of meltwater. He has taken guidance from both Jules Verne and Inuit folklore, especially the Inuit story of a wizard’s visit to the underworld. “When you return to earth,” its inhabitants cry, “send us some ice, for we thirst for cold water down here.” —E.C.