Nicolas Grenier
Region: Pacific Coast
I’m interested in the distorted connections between the many
systems we inhabit—political, economic, cultural, and social—
and the principles, values, and beliefs conveyed by these
systems. My artworks, primarily paintings but also architectural
installations and time-based projects, translate these theoretical,
philosophical problems into the visual or the physical.
Most of my paintings could be described as idea-based. They
often begin as scribbles that slowly transform, through many
studies, into a mix of geometric abstractions and text elements,
diagrams and color fields. I attempt to blend the analytical with
the poetic by combining symbolic and indexical content such as
architectural plans, color coding, text, arrows, and legends, which
refer to specific concepts and issues outside the canvas while
retaining an internal meaning related to color and shape. How
does the subtle aggressivity of a warm orange glaze over a cold
pink relate to the shift of meaning between two words such as
“integration” and “assimilation”? I believe that visual experiences
can lead to a form of critical engagement that goes beyond strict
rationality.