Boltanski, Christian | Signal, 1995 — available on Composition Gallery

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// Signal by Christian Boltanski, created in 1995, is a photographic work that juxtaposes two contrasting images: a close-up of a bumblebee on a vibrant pink rose and a portrait of a stern-looking military figure adorned with decorations, specifically a German Iron Cross. This diptych composition contrasts the natural delicacy of the bumblebee and flower with the austere formality and symbolism of military power. Boltanski’s work often explores themes of memory, history, and mortality, and here, he subtly confronts the viewer with the coexistence of beauty and authority, nature and historical weight. The contrasting subjects evoke a contemplation of life, innocence, and the complexities of human legacy.

Christian Boltanski (France, 1944–2021) was a conceptual artist renowned for exploring memory, loss, and identity. Using mediums like photography, installation, and found objects, he often evoked themes of the Holocaust and collective history. Boltanski’s works, such as 'Monuments' and 'Les Archives du Cœur,' resonate with haunting emotional depth and universal relevance.

Christian Boltanski

Signal, 1995

Name: Signal, 1995
SKU: 3146

Form

Photography

PhotographyPhotography is the process of creating an image on light sensitive materials. The image is produced by using a camera, which has a lens that focuses on light either reflected or emitted from an object. These visible wavelengths are used to reproduce the image seen.

Medium

Photograph

PhotographA photograph is an image captured with a camera. Traditionally, photographs were made by exposing film and then developing the image on light-sensitive paper using chemicals. Today, photographs can also be captured digitally and printed or displayed electronically. The process requires a camera, whether film or digital, and a photographer.

Edition

Edition of 100 + 20

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Christian Boltanski

Signal, 1995

Photography

Photograph

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Art-making is not about telling the truth but making the truth felt.
- Christian Boltanski

Christian Boltanski is a French artist known for his sculptures, photographs, installation art, and paintings. Boltanski is also a filmmaker and is part of the postmodern art movement. Boltanski has largely focused on expressing his feelings about significant periods in history and marginalized groups of people, as well as provoking viewers of his work to contemplate on those subjects. One such work, a piece of installation art entitled "Reserve", was a collection of corridors that contained the clothing of Jewish victims of Nazi concentration camps. The theme of human suffering can be seen in many of Christian Boltanski's art works, such as his "Monument" photograph collection and "No Man's Land", one of his largest installation art pieces. One of his more unconventional pieces is "The Whispers" - a sound installation art work that played a recording of voices when visitors sat near it -- which he debuted at the Folkestone Triennal in 2008. Christian Boltanski is the recipient of many prestigious international art awards, including the 2007 Praemium Imperiale Award and 2001 Goslarer Kaiserring.

Artwork by Marcel Duchamp

What is Found Object?

A found object is a term used to describe a man-made or natural object, or a fragment of one, that an artist discovers or purchases and keeps for inspiration or as a work of art. The artist may also modify the object or incorporate it into a collage or assemblage, transforming it into a new piece of art.

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Christian Boltanski

Signal, 1995

28 x 30.5 cm

Language & Currency

Christian Boltanski