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CHRIS WARE EXHIBITION
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Video tour with associate curators
Julien June Misserey and Benoît Peeters
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Welcome to the world of Chris Ware,
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a cartoonist among the greatest
of our time: a connoisseur
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and an inventor of forms.
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From the very beginning,
Ware has sought to explore
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and challenge his medium,
spawning a career
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of almost forty years.
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In fact, one can only be struck by
the considerable energy and dedication
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invested in his artistic production.
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In the early 1990s,
with a series of booklets,
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Ware made a strong impression
on the comic scene
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of the time.
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Unsigned,
said to be multi-authored,
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the Acme Novelty Library series
is the testing ground
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for his art.
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Chris Ware's name begins to emerge,
gradually,
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contrasting
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with the wealth of detail
and putting to rest
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the idea of a collaborative work.
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This series gave him the opportunity
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to develop various stories,
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various forms and formats,
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including in terms of size and paging.
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He created multiple worlds.
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They developed in parallel
and gradually evolved into
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the stories we know.
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To this side of the room
hangs an iconic piece of work.
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It shows a display stand,
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which was put up in several bookstores,
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designed to contain every issue
of Acme Novelty Library.
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As a result,
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it's both a piece of merchandise
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and of design.
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It also narrates the whole process
of book production
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and book distribution.
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It affords many interpretations.
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An aesthetical object,
loaded with references,
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can also tell a story.
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Keep in mind
that Ware's publishers asked him
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for some kind of POS display,
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in other words...
Not the type of object
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one might expect.
Now the final result
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was twice as big.
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To give you an idea,
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picture walking into a bookstore
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and seeing a 1.80-meter color display,
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with drawers
that open to contain the books
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in different shapes and sizes.
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It catches the eye in a way
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that immediately sets Ware
apart from the rest.
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With Jimmy Corrigan,
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Ware first captured wider attention.
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The book garnered a range of prizes,
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including the Grand Prix in Angoulême,
others in the US.
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It's very big,
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bigger than most comic books,
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and is based
on largely autobiographical content
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about a son's search for his dad.
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Jimmy Corrigan
placed Chris Ware on the map
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of the comic book scene
for several reasons.
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Jimmy Corrigan
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is an exploration into the medium
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and a book that tells a moving story.
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It labeled Ware as a formal innovator,
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in a way that begged the question:
Does an artist who plays around
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with the language of comics
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have anything to say?
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Jimmy Corrigan's moving personal story
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was appealing to many readers.
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But before long,
Ware chose to move away
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from autobiographical experiments,
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so to speak.
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Many aspects were indeed personal
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and turned out to resonate closely
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with Ware's life.
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Jimmy Corrigan
strikes a decidedly melancholy tone.
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Corrigan is a sad, low-level employee.
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Especially in early work,
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the way Ware casts himself
is often unflattering
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and ironic.
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As a result, it can be hard
to sympathize with his quest.
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But the reader
is gradually pulled into this universe,
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steeped in the past,
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with references to
the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
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Simultaneously,
modern-day society
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and relationship issues
are weaved into the story.
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Every page must be approached
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horizontally.
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Each page is a site of invention.
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Take the search for his father:
how does he picture this man,
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this stranger?
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A series of variations on bald heads,
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on glasses,
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masked faces...
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"Jimmy, it's me!"
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The reader is pulled
into these rows of boxes,
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which must be perceived globally
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rather than linearly.
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It's very compelling
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and ideal for an exhibition.
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Each page is a whole unto itself
that readers can take in
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before they start picking it apart.
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Ware's engagement with the book-object
comes into its own
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at the end of Jimmy Corrigan,
as his focus begins to shift.
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One of these new projects
is a shining light
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of his career.
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Building Stories is made up
of a collection of stories
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packed into a mystery-box.
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The stories interconnect and overlap
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into a richly layered work of art.
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Alongside original prints, objects,
and parallel projects,
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a strongpoint
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of the exhibition is to dive
into the genius of Chris Ware
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at work
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thanks to his research notebook,
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similar to many other writers'.
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Ware's notes,
by providing insight into his process,
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are living proof
that his sense of precision
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informs both the end-result
and every step
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along the way.
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Ware's work is also bound with
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a sense
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of openness.
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Whereas his earlier work revolved around
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himself, his own feelings
and experience,
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continually drawing on his personal life,
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a new dynamic later kicks in,
defined by openness,
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generosity, and empathy.
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He graces his characters
with more diversified personalities
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and worldviews.
As they cross paths,
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they tell of an artist
who engages with his time,
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in contrast with the nostalgic figure
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from his previous work,
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whose passions were consistently laid out
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throughout each book.
Here, new possibilities arise.
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His new approach combines
traditional narrative
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and characters
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with unconventional aspects.
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Take this pamphlet,
which revolves around the story
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of a bee.
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It's a dramatic change of focus
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and a radical shift
in the narrative point of view.
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Ware is at his best
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when he takes us by surprise,
as he shifts his lens
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and forces us to see the world
in a new light.
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Yet his work is anything but soulless.
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His so-called formalist approach
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is deeply imaginative,
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in terms of narrative,
characters,
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and emotion.
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This bee gets its own full-blown story.
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In another story,
we see the character
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sitting in a kitchen
with a vase
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next to the window,
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and a little bee.
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It's only a detail.
It takes up 1 mm
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on the page and it winds up
becoming the main character
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of its own story.
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It's another instance of Chris Ware
building on previous work.
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It's also a chance for him to experiment
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with different formats,
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fully tapping
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into the potential of the page,
as in the case
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of this life-size drawing of his daughter
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at the age she was then.
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In recent years,
this new-found openness,
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very characteristic of Ware's evolution,
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has taken a new turn.
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The focus of his work has moved
to drawing
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an increasingly detailed portrait
of modern-day American society
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that develops along a number
of recurring themes:
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the marginalized,
social injustice, racism,
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and many more.
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Ware's engagement with America at large
has been steadily growing,
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from chapter to chapter,
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as it were.
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Increasingly, the outside world
permeates his art.
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The early impression of an indrawn man,
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shut inside a world of his own,
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has radically evolved.
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His medium has changed him.
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One of the greatest things
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art can do
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is create the artist.
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This evolution did not occur naturally.
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He has mentioned
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feeling trapped in his art.
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More recently,
his way of taking up the story and life
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of a female Afro-American character
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is intriguing.
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In a time that has challenged
cultural appropriation,
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he has managed
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to steer away from it all
thanks to an approach
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defined by empathy,
generosity,
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observation, and care.
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In Rusty Brown,
an elaborate book,
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Ware strikes a joyful, youthful,
and even playful tone.
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Take these handcrafted figurines
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created by Ware.
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Amid these characters,
one stands out as a self-portrait.
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They are a reminder
of his early cartoon work
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and of what has shaped him
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all along.
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The variety of styles and approaches
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that speak to the child
in every one of us,
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makes up one of Ware's
most stunning qualities.
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At no time
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is he tempted to cast his work
as some kind of noble or unmixed
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art form.
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Take for instance this lunchbox,
decorated with cartoon drawings
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from Rusty Brown,
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or his Building Stories puzzle.
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This playfulness is a consistent feature
of his work.
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Exactly.
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At first,
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critics reduced Chris Ware
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to his personal musings
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on the meaning of life
and the emptiness of existence.
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Although this soberness
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and these issues
no doubt inform his art,
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he also knows how to laugh,
taking his readers along.
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In fact,
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while the story unfolding
from page to page
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might seem hopeless, cold, or grim,
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any two panels,
any two details,
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reveal an overarching
inventiveness.
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We are now in the
"Comics and Co." section.
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Ware continues to push
the envelope of his art,
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as a connoisseur
of the medium's possibilities,
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past and present.
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Still, he dabbles in other media,
creating magazine covers,
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posters, objects,
and animated short films.
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These explorations feed into
his growing openness
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to new narrative forms.
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Absolutely.
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Visitors of the exhibition
will have the pleasure
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of seeing original art
from his magazine on ragtime,
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a musical genre
which holds a special place
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in his heart.
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The exhibition also seeks to show
how his work connects to
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architecture
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which has influenced his style
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from early on.
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All of these bits and pieces,
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put together, provide an overview
of his multifaceted talent.
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Another testament to his sense of detail
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is his work on this jigsaw puzzle.
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Ware agreed to the project
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on the condition
that he could design the pieces
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himself.
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Not every artist asked to design a puzzle,
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or any piece of merchandise,
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is so dedicated.
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In other words,
the shape of the pieces
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depart from usual standards.
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The Japanese manufacturer
was left scrambling,
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but the result is outstanding
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and highly meta-dimensional.
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It's a recurring theme:
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the drawing within the drawing,
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the embedded stories.
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There's no way around it.
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For Chris Ware, there seems to be no end
to this intra-narrative vertigo.
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You think a comic book
is a quick read?
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Think again!
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Now Ware spends
a fantastical amount of time
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on his illustrations
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and on the many projects
we have mentioned.
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Yet he also devotes a lot of time
to his family-life,
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00:13:25.580 --> 00:13:28.230
as well as to a number of hobbies,
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a wide range of pursuits,
including various handicrafts.
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During his college years,
Ware learned woodworking.
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It's an important part of his life.
274
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It has led him to create
many such constructions
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00:13:44.330 --> 00:13:45.090
for Clara,
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his daughter,
for birthdays and other occasions.
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In one,
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the Wares are standing on the porch
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with Chris, Marnie,
Clara, and the cats.
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00:13:56.340 --> 00:13:59.160
It's a way of saying:
"I put a lot of time
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"into a wide range of projects, sure,
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00:14:02.400 --> 00:14:04.650
"but check out all this other stuff
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"I do on the side!"
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00:14:06.340 --> 00:14:10.950
Our tour ends
with the poster of the exhibition.
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00:14:11.150 --> 00:14:14.430
Chris Ware was thrilled
about the exhibition,
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00:14:14.630 --> 00:14:18.860
contributing to it from afar.
With this poster,
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00:14:19.060 --> 00:14:23.030
he wanted to pay tribute
to libraries and to the Centre Pompidou.
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00:14:23.230 --> 00:14:23.990
As a child,
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00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:28.070
he had been struck by pictures
of the Center's architecture.
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00:14:28.270 --> 00:14:32.870
The poster simultaneously narrates
different parts of his life,
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00:14:33.070 --> 00:14:36.020
in a way that speaks to connoisseurs
and others.
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00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:39.470
This is the original poster,
particularly eye-catching
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00:14:39.670 --> 00:14:40.430
in color.
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00:14:40.630 --> 00:14:44.810
The colors used for the poster
immediately call to mind
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00:14:45.010 --> 00:14:46.640
the Center's color scheme.
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00:14:46.840 --> 00:14:50.360
The poster is strewn
with detailed references
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00:14:50.560 --> 00:14:51.320
to his work.
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00:14:51.530 --> 00:14:54.080
In addition to giving a broad overview
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00:14:54.280 --> 00:14:55.040
of his work,
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00:14:55.430 --> 00:14:57.980
we find names of books
and characters
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00:14:58.180 --> 00:14:59.750
scattered across.
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00:15:00.050 --> 00:15:02.780
Chicago is here, on the right.
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00:15:03.140 --> 00:15:05.510
Instead of a simple drawing
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overlaid with elements of typography
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00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:11.050
that can be added and edited digitally,
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00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:15.380
Chris Ware worked over and over again
on the lettering
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00:15:15.580 --> 00:15:17.220
and the inking.
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00:15:17.420 --> 00:15:20.000
An approach
and a process of this kind
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00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:21.650
are far from common
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00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:22.620
in 2022.
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00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:27.260
During a meeting
with the Bpi staff,
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00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:30.680
I remember that Chris was told:
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00:15:30.880 --> 00:15:33.110
"You do the drawing,
we do the text.
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00:15:33.310 --> 00:15:34.310
"It's standard."
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00:15:34.550 --> 00:15:37.070
Chris said:
"I don't see it that way.
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00:15:37.270 --> 00:15:40.640
"Fill me in on the style guide
and I'll handle it."
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00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:41.930
We worked it out.
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00:15:42.260 --> 00:15:46.700
What a great homage to the Center it is
to redesign its logo,
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00:15:46.900 --> 00:15:50.180
those of its sponsors',
working every part in together.
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00:15:50.420 --> 00:15:54.350
It's his way of respectfully
going beyond the assignment.
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00:15:54.650 --> 00:15:55.410
Chris Ware,
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00:15:55.610 --> 00:15:58.070
a man with a lifetime of accolades,
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00:15:58.520 --> 00:16:01.340
stopped just short of jumping with joy
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00:16:01.540 --> 00:16:04.790
when we gave him this opportunity
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00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:10.100
to redesign and illustrate
his own invitation card,
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00:16:10.300 --> 00:16:11.060
as it were.
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00:16:11.260 --> 00:16:13.150
And rightly so!
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00:16:13.350 --> 00:16:15.980
Even for a world-famous artist
from Chicago,
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00:16:16.310 --> 00:16:21.110
having a show at the Bpi
that is open to all, all summer long,
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00:16:21.310 --> 00:16:23.630
is an event that means
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00:16:23.830 --> 00:16:24.590
something.
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00:16:24.790 --> 00:16:25.550
In France,
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00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:27.530
Ware's work has always enjoyed
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00:16:27.730 --> 00:16:28.520
wide acclaim,
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00:16:29.180 --> 00:16:31.460
with the Grand Prix in Angoulême,
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00:16:31.660 --> 00:16:34.160
and a show at the Centre Pompidou
in Paris.
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00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:35.810
Circle complete.
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00:16:42.674 --> 00:16:44.740
Translated by: Armelle Chrétien