Hervé Humbert
Patterns in a Chromatic Field

Vernissage at 20th October 2019 7-11 pm at artloft.berlin 

Musical performance by Kenji Minami at 8 pm
artloft.berlin – Gerichtstrasse 23 – 13347 Berlin – www.artloft.berlin

Exhibition on view from 20th of October – 24th of November 2019

The exhibition is organized around two central, emblematic pieces, a film and a light object. Both relate to the artist’s travels in Japan, which he visited for the first time in 2016. During this first trip, Humbert visited the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theater to attend the Miyako Odori, Kyoto’s festival of geisha dances that takes place every April. Video and photography being strictly forbidden, Humbert could only take a single, quick snapshot of the theater’s ceiling lamp. Afterward, he realized a 1:3 scale replica from this single photograph.

Patterns in a Chromatic Field, the title of the show, was taken from a musical piece composed by Morton Feldman in 1981. It’s also the title of  Hervé Humbert’s film, begun in 2018 and completed and debuted in 2019 in Kyoto at KG+ / Kyotographie Festival. The film is a travelogue of the artist’s journey throughout Japan between March and July 2018.

In its 60 views of the artist’s trip, this travelogue embraces a wide range of topics and explores patterns of everyday life. Inspired by the Lumière brothers, the artist’s idea was to catch the world and human activities in all their diversity in one-minute sequences. Every sequence proposes a realistic tableau, showing a variety of actions and places. Focusing on what makes a life, from working to reading, eating and sleeping, the film takes us through this Japanese journey by train, bus and boat, through cities and countryside.

Patterns in a Chromatic Field (a Travelogue), 2018 / 2019 Full HD

Camera, editing: Hervé Humbert – Color grading: Emanuel Doser – Sound: Fabian Simon – Special big thanks to Dominique Poupardin

Hervé Humbert’s Patterns in a Chromatic Field is part of a series of exhibitions at Gerichtstrasse 23 in Berlin, a building that has become a dynamic multicultural organism, described by visitors from many corners of the world as an edifice with an open free-spirited Berlin character. G.23 is composed of layers of continuously developing creative activities, exploring new initiatives across various disciplines.

Exhibition curated by Tanya Berlinski, Poster-Design by Hervé Humbert with Sebastian Mayer

Exhibition made possible with friendly support by artloft.berlin & Time Equities Inc.