Jonathan Monaghan, the New York-based artist, exhibited his series of digital collages that mix Manhattan architecture with 5th Avenue luxury sofas, divans, and love seats in a questioning survey of our cities and sense of reality. At his exhibition at the beautiful gallery 22,48 m2 in Paris, Monaghan seeks to literally open a window on the myth of our cities, the notion of luxury and the dreamscape of our fantasy, echoing the sense of longing and mystery Italo Calvino speaks of in his Invisible Cities.
“Cities like dreams are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules absurd, their perspectives deceitful; and everything hides something else,” wrote Calvino.
So: What better city to examine urban architecture than in Paris? Monaghan’s Gotham brings together more than a dozen works on paper video in beautiful surreal, fragmented narratives. Imagine a 5 star hotel lobby turned upside with the guests admiring the stunning chandeliers, the luxurious seating and inhaling the purified air conditioned sense of the future. Monaghan’s world awaits.
Gotham: 16 September–29 October, 2016, at GALERIE 22,48 m² 30, rue des Envierges 75020, Paris.
Matthew Rose is an artist and writer based in Paris. See Matthew’s Instagram feed here.
Editor’s note: Roberta has written about Jonathan’s work on Artblog, when he showed his work at Vox Populi in 2009.
