In French, as well as when translated into other languages, the noun Décharge has a variety of meanings. In addition to its main denotation - a landfill, an area where the waste can be buried, this word can also mean the passage of electric current from one object to another. The versatility of the term is also emphasised by the presence of another meaning: Décharge also indicates the process of a sudden release of a substance in the body (for example, adrenaline) or the process of releasing the biological fluid of the body (For example, blood, saliva, urine, semen).
Passage of the swans, 2022 Porcelain, smells, liquids, flowers, shirts. Various dimensions. View of Morgan Courtois’ personal exhibition, Décharge, at the Pernod Ricard Foundation. Photo by Aurélien Mole.
When creating a visual and olfactory installation, Morgan Courtois (Aubervilliers, 1988) refers to the multi-layered nature of Décharge. By combining sculptural compositions of porcelain, plant elements and scents, he disorganises them in space at the same time through their aesthetic evocation.
..I often think of the smell of the end of the party when everything has been consumed. The smell of the landfill interests me because it is also the place of chaotic encounters..
Excerpt from the interview between curator Zoe Stillpas and artist Morgan Courtois produced for the journal La Traverse 3
View of Morgan Courtois’ personal exhibition, Décharge, at the Pernod Ricard Foundation. Photo by Aurélien Mole
The Foundation's space reveals the artist's passion for collecting various Objets trouvés: empty or half-empty, used, ''consumed'' bottles - whether they are perfume bottles, bottles of alcoholic beverages or empty tanks for other purposes (Alkyl nitrite, aka poppers). When using materials such as industrial liquids like petroleum and alcohol, water, oil, wax, mirrors, steel and plaster, the artist preserves pleasant memories of the past through their fetishization and appeals to the aesthetics of the vegetable world.
View of Morgan Courtois’ personal exhibition, Décharge, at the Pernod Ricard Foundation. Photo by Aurélien Mole
The mirror surfaces of the pedestals, on which objects with plants, living and cut flowers are mounted, refer to the associations of liquid fluidity. This theme of fluidity is repeatedly touched upon by the artist. The exhibition consists of various smells, either composed or raw. The invisible presence of the fragrance in the air, that was conceived specially for the duration of the exhibition, relates to the transient and ephemeral nature of the event.
View of Morgan Courtois’ personal exhibition, Décharge, at the Pernod Ricard Foundation. Photo by Aurélien Mole
What interests me in using smells in the exhibition is to create dissonances and contradictions. Smell and fragrances are also a form of writing, a writing of feelings. Perfume passes through language, but it has a formal arrangement
It is a medium that requires writing work, it is very much linked to narration.
Excerpt from the interview between curator Zoe Stillpas and artist Morgan Courtois produced for the journal La Traverse 3
For more treasures to catch the eye and pamper your olfactory receptors : Rendez-vous at the Pernod Ricard Foundation (1 cours Paul Ricard, 75008 Paris) until March 26th.
Cover image: View of Morgan Courtois’ personal exhibition, Décharge, at the Pernod Ricard Foundation. Photo by Aurélien Mole.
