For his eighth solo exhibition at the gallery, French-American artist Jerome Lagarrigue presents The fire this time, a series of paintings that explores the theme of urban violence. This is the continuation of a project initiated in 2010-2011 following riots in Clichy-sous-Bois (Paris’ suburb).

The media coverage of events, as well as televised images, have had major influenced Jerome Lagarrigue’s practice. Through the use of off-centred subjects, blurred effects suggesting still images, some of his compositions strongly evoke movie-making sequences.

The title of the exhibition, The fire this time, refers to James Baldwin’s book, The Fire Next Time, published in the U.S in 1963 and in Europe in 1964. The book includes two essays starting with a letter from the author to his 14-year-old nephew at the occasion of the Emancipation proclamation’s centenary which abolished slavery on the U.S territory. With this new body of work, the artist pursues his observation work and analysis of the African- American community’s challenges within the society.

Jérôme Lagarrigue was born in 1973 in Paris. He lives and works in Brooklyn. He was graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, he becomes a teacher of painting and drawing at Parsons School of Design (New York). A former resident of Villa Medicis, his work belong to important collections such as Metropolitan Opera Collection (New York), Dean Collection (New York) and Peggy Cooper-Cafritz (New York).