AVENUE - Nicolas Sassoon

AVENUE is a large animated GIF which dimensions deliberately exceed the size of the screen, forcing the viewer to penetrate into a hypnotic portrayal of an architectural space. The representation depicts the interior of “Avenue”, an underground art/music project active in Vancouver BC, Canada between 2012 and 2015. The scene has been recreated by the artist based on his personal memories with no intent to be a precise depiction of the space. The artist invites us to follow him in a world blending memories of real elements with imaginary visions. The choice to use only black and white colors and a visual language made of hard-edged pixelated textures and patterns contributes to emphasise the feeling of a space at the same time dated and idealized. Sassoon employs this visual language to reminisce the culture and communities surrounding the artist-run space. The result is a dreamlike and intimate experience, simultaneously ambiguous, inaccurate and incredibly rich with a multitude of details.
AVENUE together with the previous work, INDEX (2016), is the second project in a series of three large animations that depict artist-run spaces in Vancouver.

Nicolas Sassoon makes use of early computer imaging techniques to render visions of architectures, landscapes and natural forces. Sassoon’s practice translates ideas of materiality and immateriality into digital animations, installations, prints, and sculptures. His work explores the contemplative and projective dimensions of screen-based space, and how the digital image can express dimensions of the physical realm. His visual research often leads him to engage in cross-disciplinary projects in the fields of architecture, electronic music, textiles, and art.
Nicolas is a founder of the collective W-A-L-L-P-A-P-E-R-S and SIGNALS. His work has been exhibited at The Whitney Museum of American Art (US) Eyebeam (US), Vancouver Art Gallery (CA), Plugin ICA (CA), Contemporary Art Gallery (CA), PRETEEN Gallery (MX), Victoria & Albert Museum (UK), MU Eindhoven (NL), the Berlin Fashion Week (DE) and the New-York Fashion Week (US).