ANNE BLANCHET

1 DECEMBER 2023 - 6 JANUARY 2024

For the inaugural edition of our invited artists series, where Opera Gallery Geneva offers artists the opportunity to curate their own exhibitions, we are thrilled to introduce Swiss artist, Anne Blanchet.
The works chosen for the show by the artist are her Light Drawings. These works, which Anne Blanchet decided to showcase mostly against a backdrop of grey walls, feature delicate incisions in white acrylic glass sheets, revealing light that initiates a constant transformation within the artwork. The artist also chose to grace the gallery space with a unique installation. Nestled in a totally black room, several lights are programmed to illuminate at different angles a Light Drawing hung on the wall. The light enters the translucent material, is reflected there and evolves sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, in fades or in contrasts evoking a sensation akin to «visual music».

In her creations, Blanchet adeptly conveys the interplay between shadows and light, seamlessly blending transparent simplicity with captivating enchantment. Her creations are not static surfaces but rather subject to constant change, sometimes hovering on the edge of perception.

Anne Blanchet's body of work serves as a catalyst for contemplation, inviting viewers to explore the subtleties of perception that straddle the boundary between reality and illusion. As spectators engage with her art, they are compelled to reconsider their perceptions, transitioning from fascination to introspection. They find themselves immersed in a serene, meditative atmosphere that elicits a feeling of uncertainty. What initially seemed straightforward and evident transforms into something disquieting. The discerning eye realizes that the demarcation between sharpness and diffusion can be remarkably subtle.
Anne Blanchet possesses a unique talent for intertwining intellect, emotion, and the material world in her artistic expressions.

DXLVI, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
70 x 70 x 3,5 cm

CLXIV, Light Drawing, 2003
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
45 x 298 x 3 cm

CLXIII, Light Drawing, 2003
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
45 x 298 x 3 cm

CCCCLXIV, Light Drawing, 1996-2016
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
240 x 40 x 3 cm

CCCCLXXXIII, Light Drawing, 2018
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
110 x 110 x 4,5 cm

CCCCLXXVI, Light Drawing, 2018
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
117 x 117 x 3,5 cm

DXLIXI, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
40 x 40 x 3,5 cm

DXLVIII, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
40 x 40 x 3,5 cm

DXLVII, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
40 x 40 x 3,5 cm

DL, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
40 x 40 x 3,5 cm

CCCC, Light Drawing, 2014
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
110 x 110 x 4,5 cm

DXL, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
50 x 50 x 3,5 cm

DXXXIX, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
50 x 50 x 3,5 cm

CCCCLXXXVI-CCCCLXXXVII, Light Drawings, 2019
Incised acrylic glass, Bristol support
Each: 180 x 40.6 x 3 cm

DXLIV, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
50 x 50 x 3,5 cm

CCCCXXVII, Light Drawing, 2015
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
50 x 50 x 2 cm

DXXXVIII, Light Drawing, 2023
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
50 x 50 x 3,5 cm

CCCCXLIX, Light Drawing, 2018
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
100 x 100 x 3,5 cm

CCCCVI, Light Drawing, 2014
Incised acrylic glass, white metal support
Ø 98 x 4,5 cm

Portrait of the artist: © Alex Blanchet

BIOGRAPHY
Anne Blanchet was born in 1947 in Vuarrens, Switzerland.
She currently lives and works in Geneva.

1982 - 1983 Visiting artist at CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
1971 - 1974 Writer for art editors (WEBER SA D'EDITIONS and EDITIONS DE BONVENT SA, Geneva)
1967 - 1971 Studied Literature in Lausanne, Kiel and Marburg Universities - Bachelor's Degree

Solo exhibitions

2022 DXIX musique visuelle, 2022, Contrechamps, les 6 toits, Geneva, CH
2021 NUAGE POUR HARCOURT, château d'Harcourt, Eure, FR. For the European Heritage Days/li>
2021 LUMENS And LIGHT DRAWINGS, Galerie Multipleart, Zurich, CH
2020 LUMEN XXIV, 2020, Espace LVX, Corseaux, CH
2016 LIGHT DRAWINGS 2016, Galerie Denise René, Paris, FR/li>
2014 LIGHT DRAWINGS, Luca Tommasi, Arte Contemporanea, Milano, IT
2013 Inauguration of NUAGE et MURMURE, two installations at the Parc du Pommier, Le Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, CH
2011 Inauguration of POINT D'INTERROGATION, Jardin des disparus, Geneva, CH
2010 Galerie Denise René, Paris, FR
2007 Galerie Favre Art Actuel, Nyon, CH
2003 Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, CH
2002 Galerie Carrespace, Vallorbe, CH
2000 PASSAGES, permanent installation, Hôpital Belle-Idée, Geneva, CH
2000 Espace Arlaud, Lausanne, CH. Prix Gustave Buchet
1999 Hall Palermo, Geneva, CH
1997 PORTES 97, Galerie MDJ, Neuchâtel, CH
1997 FORUM D'ART CONTEMPORAIN, Sierre, CH
1996 Iynedjian Art, Lausanne, CH
1994 EMERGENCES, Espace d'Art Contemporain, Lausanne, CH
1990 Galerie des BASTIONS, Geneva, CH
1990 Galerie PALUD 1, Lausanne, CH
1987 VOLUMES Galerie CARE OFF, Geneva, CH

Public commissions

2017 BEEMD 2017, Nuage, Private Parc, Belgium
2015 PULSATIONS, Esplanade du Château, Nyon, CH
2014 Lumen III, Roggengarten, Weissenstadt am See, DE
2013 MURMURES, Parc du Pommier, Le Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, CH
2013 NUAGE, Parc du Pommier, Le Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, CH
2010 POINT D'INTERROGATION, Jardin des Disparus, Meyrin, Geneva, CH
2009 PULSATION, Parc du Château Mercier, Sierre, CH
2008 ESPACE SILENCE, Université de Pérolles 2, Fribourg, CH
2007 LUMIERE, ESPACE DE MEDITATION, Université Pérolles 2, Fribourg, CH
2005 PONT DE LUMIERE, Université de Pérolles 2, Fribourg, C
2000 PASSAGES, Clinique de Belle-Idée, Geneva, CH

Selected Public and Private Collections

Centre National d'Arts Plastiques, Paris (FR)
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne (CH)
Fonds Cantonal d'Art Contemporain, Geneva (CH)
Banque Cantonale de Genève (CH)
Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, Lausanne (CH)
Collection Pauli, Epalinges (CH)
Collection Leupoldt, Weissenstadt (DE)
Collection Schroth, Soest (DE)
Collection Dubois, Lausanne (CH)
Collection Iynedjian Art, Lausanne (CH)