“What happens if our cultural recycling begins to overtake us and starts reviving events that have not even taken place yet? “

Studio 106 Art Gallery is delighted to present Doubleback Alley, the first solo exhibition in London of French artist Julien Tiberi.

Julien Tiberi leads us along winding paths where cultural referents and graphic practices are constantly subtly interwoven. Choosing drawing as his preferred medium, the artist offers us a pictorial universe nurtured by literary works, ranging from Mark Twain to G.K. Chesterton by way of Robert A. Heinlein.

Presented here in a new enhanced version, L’histoire véritable [True Story] consists of a set of views of a fictitious exhibition, imagined in its entirety by Julien Tiberi. These drawings illustrate a text by Lucian of Samosata written in the 2nd century. Regarded as the first science-fiction story, this utopian — but also caricatural — tale is used as a pretext by the artist to confront various problem areas, including the setting up of a collective exhibition, documentary photography, and the figure of the curator.

Beyond the simple updating of a caricature that comes from the past, this work reflects the analytical practice Julien Tiberi operates with: the references he catalogues are transformed into theatrical figures through drawing.

*(Author:) Marc Bembekoff, curator, Palais de Tokyo

Julien Tiberi (born 1979, Marseille) works and lives in Paris. Solo exhibitions include L’amicale Des Tours De Main Hors Classe, Palais De Tokyo , Paris (2011); Le catalogue, Galerie Florence Loewy, Paris (2011);Stratos Fear, Galerie RLBQ, Marseille (2008); Julien Tiberi, Kunstklub, Berlin (2005). Recent Group shows include Ne jamais remettre à demain ce que l’on peut faire à une seule, (cur. Julien Nédélec) La Graineterie, Houilles Paris (2011); Le carillon de Big Ben, Centre d’art contemporain d’Ivry (2010); One more reality, Careof, DOCVA La Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, Italie (2010); Dead Letters Office, Centre de lettre perdue, touring to Saint-Paul, Minnesota and Atlanta, USA (2008); Mail Delivery System, Mailer Daemon (cur. Galerie RLBQ), Contemporary Art Museum, Marseille (2007).

For more information, visit:http://documentsdartistes.org/artistes/tiberi/Tiberi-web.pdf

Studio 106 Art Gallery is a Not-for-profit organisation, that combines a professional gallery with a lively education programme, presenting a regular series of exhibitions and events that complement and enrich its programme of courses and workshops. We would like to thank the Arts Council England, London for supporting this exhibition.