Elsa Werth
Soleil , 2023
Sound installation, 01 min 38 sec
Edition of 3 + 1 A.P.
Courtesy Bloom and the artist
The urgent issue of climate change is addressed by this sound piece made from excerpts of weather bulletins announcing heatwaves. All accompanied by a radio jingle – gong marking the passing of time and the forward rush in which we are carried away, refusing to face the catastrophe looming ahead of us.
Elsa Werth
Give and Take, 2021
Sound installation, 2 channels, 8 min 07 sec
Edition of 3 + 1 A.P.
Courtesy Bloom and the artist
The expression «Give and Take» is the starting point this sound work about language and exchanges between people. It is based on the combination of these two terms which both oppose and complement each other. This sound piece is like a dialogue. It’s composed exclusively with common expressions that start with the word «give» or «take». There is no logic in this string of sentences. They link together different and unexpected issues. By so they echo today’s transactions where everything is sold and everything is bought.
Elsa Werth
Handmade, 2022
Video projection, color, silent, loop,
29 min 18 sec
Edition de 3 + 1 A.P.
Courtesy Bloom and the artist
Manufactured elements, produced by human hands, appear and disappear on the screen, magically replacing one another. These images reflect a sterile production subjected to the dictates of consumption and growth.
Elsa Werth (b.1985 in Paris) lives and works in Paris, France.
She earned a BFA in visual communication at École Nationale Supérieure des Arts décoratifs, Paris (2009) before her study in Fine Arts at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (2013). She was awarded the 23e Pernod Ricard Foundation Prize for Contemporary Art in 2022 and the Humankind Leo Burnet Prize in 2013.
Werth‘s artworks are included in the permanent collections of the Centre Pompidou Paris (FR); the Centre National des Arts Plastiques (FR); the Fond Régional d‘Art Contemporain Normandie (FR), FRAC Pays de la Loire (FR), FRAC Franche-Comté (FR), FRAC Occitanie (FR); the Kadist Foundation (US). Her artist‘s books and editions are included in the collections of the Jan Michalski Foundation (SW); the New York Public Library (US); the Artexte Information Center (CA); the FRAC Bretagne (FR); the Musée d‘art moderne et contemporain Saint-Étienne (FR); the Rennes 2 University Cabinet du livre d‘artiste (FR) and the CDLA Centre des livres d’artistes (FR).
Her work has been exhibited internationally in institutions including Musée National d’Art Moderne Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg; Art Museum of Nanjing University; B09K, Changsha, China; Coimbra Biennial; BSMNT, Leipzig; Société, Brussels; NordArt, Büdelsdorf; Fondation d’entreprise Pernod Ricard, Paris; Fondation Fiminco, Romainville; Frac des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou; Frac Normandie, Caen; Frac Franche-Comté, Besançon; MRAC, Sérignan; MAMC Saint- Etienne; Centre d’Art Bastille, Grenoble; Cabinet du Livre d’Artiste, Rennes; Centre d’Art Image/Imatge, Orthez; Creux de l’Enfer, Thiers; Centre d’Art Albert Chanot, Clamart; ZK/U Center for Art, Berlin and others.
Elsa Werth‘s work has been presented in solo exhibitions at Bloom (Düsseldorf), Entre Deux Portes (Brussels), Interface (Dijon), au Centre d’Art de l’Onde (Vélizy-Villacoublay), au Centre des livres d’artistes (St Yrieix-la- Perche), Lendroit Éditions (Rennes), Primo Piano (Paris), Galerie Martine Aboucaya (Paris), Galerie mfc-michèle didier (Paris), Bazar Compatible program (Shanghai), Duplex/Walden (Geneva).
Bloom was founded by the Korean curator Ji Sue Byun in 2020. The inspiration of Bloom was to create an international network of artists and to contribute to the critical discourses on cultural diversity and interdisciplinary research. Located in the gallery district in Düsseldorf, the exhibition space stands out thanks to its unique atmosphere as a formal industry site. The name of the gallery refers to the central figure, Leopold Bloom, of James Joyce’s novel Ulysses, and reflects its adventurous spirit.
Our program’s purpose is to interrelate with artists of different career stages and to develop continuous collaboration projects. We also support young artists to present their first public show. One specialist focus is to develop site-specific works and curated shows; our exhibition program therefore juxtaposes diverse disciplines and mediums. Alongside the gallery program, BLOOM collaborates with external institutions and projects to develop the platform internationally. The gallery publishes artist books, produces editions and creates events such as film screenings, showcasing artist books and performances.