Kiki of Paris
Encyclopedia
Kiki of Paris is the pseudonym for a French photographer and artist born in Paris in 1945.
, he was introduced by the actor Michel Simon
to Henry Miller
who advised him to devote himself to photography. He then worked with the ethnologist Robert Jaulin
and traveled through Asia, Central Europe, Cuba, Jamaica, and the United States. In the early 90's he joined the humanistic photography movement, associating with Willy Ronis
. Since 2000, Kiki of Paris is a member of the ADAGP.
Biography
Kiki studied humanities and social sciences before turning towards drawing and painting. In MontparnasseMontparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
, he was introduced by the actor Michel Simon
Michel Simon
Michel Simon , was a Swiss actor. The actor François Simon is his son.-Early years:...
to Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
who advised him to devote himself to photography. He then worked with the ethnologist Robert Jaulin
Robert Jaulin
Robert Jaulin was a French ethnologist. After several journeys to Chad, between 1954 and 1959, among the Sara people, he published in 1967 La Mort Sara in which he exposed the various initiation rites through which he had passed himself, and closely analyzed Sara geomancy...
and traveled through Asia, Central Europe, Cuba, Jamaica, and the United States. In the early 90's he joined the humanistic photography movement, associating with Willy Ronis
Willy Ronis
Willy Ronis was a French photographer, the best-known of whose work shows life in post-war Paris and Provence.-Early life:...
. Since 2000, Kiki of Paris is a member of the ADAGP.
Kiki of Paris Committee
The Kiki of Paris Committee was created in 2006, to promote his work and to provide certificates of authenticity.Notable works
- The melancholy of Kiki of Paris
- The Last Ride
- Polymorphous Structures
- Ulysses
- Adios Queens
- Sacrifice of the Cockerel
- The Messenger
- Desolation Canyon This work assembles a group of three people that the artist photographed in CharleroiCharleroiCharleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
and placed in an image of Death ValleyDeath ValleyDeath Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
. - Loulou, a French dog
Critical reception
«Demanding and opposed to ckichés, your photographic work has the seduction of poetry. By seeking to reveal imaginary , your eye transcends the reality and daily life and leds to the emergence of images of great creativity » – Bertrand Delanoë (Mayor of Paris)
Main exhibitions
- 1999 Telos InstituteTelos InstituteThe Telos Institute is a 501 non-profit organization affiliated with the academic journal Telos. The Telos Institute hosts annual conferences to examine such topics as "social theory, political philosophy, intellectual history, and contemporary culture." Research presented at the conferences is...
(Seattle) - 2001 Nart Gallery (Paris)
- 2002 Tokyo International ForumTokyo International ForumThe is a multi-purpose center in Tokyo, Japan.One of its halls seats 5,000. In addition to seven other halls, it includes exhibition space, a lobby, restaurants, shops, and other facilities....
- 2002 Atelier Visconti (Paris)
- 2002 Salon des Indépendants (Paris)
- 2004 Hype Gallery Palais de Tokyo (Paris)
- 2004 2009 Galerie ARTEnovance
Publications
- 1984 Bars de nuit à Paris — Night bars in Paris
- 1985 Fractures sociales, l'example de Belleville — Social fractures. The example of Belleville
- 1989 Obliques et perspectives — Obliques and perspectives
- 1999 Structures primaires et polymorphes — Primary and polymorphic structures
- 2001 Kiki of Paris (Telos InstituteTelos InstituteThe Telos Institute is a 501 non-profit organization affiliated with the academic journal Telos. The Telos Institute hosts annual conferences to examine such topics as "social theory, political philosophy, intellectual history, and contemporary culture." Research presented at the conferences is...
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