Overview
Pilar Corrias Gallery opened in London's West End on 16 October 2008 with an exhibition of new work by French artist Philippe Parreno.
The internationally renowned architect Rem Koolhaas/OMA, has created a space on two floors defined by a gallery's major functions: a room for exhibition, a room for private viewing, storage and managing offices. Committed to the realisation and presentation of ideas, the 3,800 sq ft space will be indefinitely changeable and transformable for each exhibition, with plans for large-scale projects reaching beyond the physical boundaries of the gallery.
The program will present a mix of exhibitions by emerging as well as established artists. Current large scale projects in production are 'Don't Cross the Bridge before you get to the River' by Francis Alÿs and 'The Cephalopod Project', a collaboration with artists Miquel Barceló and Philippe Parreno.
The inaugural exhibition October presented a new work by Philippe Parreno, Fraught Times: For Eleven Months of the Year its an Artwork and in December it's Christmas (October), 2008. The work consisted of a large scale, painted, cast aluminium sculpture of a decorated Christmas tree. Playing with the length of time we engage with something and with the concepts of celebration and desire, the Christmas tree marked the event of the opening of a new gallery. Parreno's work is known for challenging viewers by questioning authorship and perceptions of reality and illusion.