Nicolas Grenier

Vertically integrated socialism
05.18–06.23.2017
Room 1

The genesis for Vertically Integrated Socialismcan be traced back to the streets of Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighbourhood, where each night, between 10 000 and 20 000 homeless people converge. Nicolas Grenier’s studio was in that neighbourhood, and his regular presence there forced him to develop an understanding of LA that includes the daily coexistence of two diametrically opposed worlds. On one hand is the art world, with its galleries, museums and other cultural sites, fuelled by private and corporate wealth, and driven by a range of artistic, philosophical and aesthetic concerns. On the other, the harsh reality of extreme poverty on display in the streets, ruled by an economy of basic needs that can never be fully met, and which monopolize the homeless day after day. These two conflicting worlds – and dozens more – can be found in Los Angeles, each one existing in isolation from the other. In light of such blatant disparity, how can the ongoing issue of classes be reconsidered?

Nicolas Grenier attempts to address this question through a fictional architecture that renders the discrepancy between these classes tangible. To be introduced to the project, viewers are invited to attend the artist’s lecture-performance, delivered in a format that combines Keynote presentation, 3D animation and audio book. Here, viewers can discover the story of an individual on a quest for greater social status within an experimental and radical new housing concept called Vertically Integrated Socialism. The project imagines the entire social pyramid living under a single roof, and offers the tantalizing potential of a brighter future through an improbable ascent towards the luxurious lifestyle of the higher levels. This economic system invites the poorest citizens to inhabit the base of the building, where they then strive to rise within society’s ranks. As a model, it is both utopian and perverse. On one hand, it envisions a way out of the problematic social conditions found in many of the world’s big cities, but on the other, the structure gives people at the bottom of the ladder just enough hope to buy into an economic system that is fundamentally unjust, that assimilates them, and in turn, eradicates the threat of any real change to the social order.

To fully appreciate the ins and outs of Nicolas Grenier’s conceptual architecture, please reserve your spot to attend one of his 50-minute lecture-performances, presented three times a week for the duration of the exhibition. Upon your arrival at CLARK, go down the hallway and through the arches to the presentation room, where an immersive environment adorned with mirrors, columns and plants awaits you. Have a seat among the other audience members, and enter the world of Vertically Integrated Socialism.

– Manon Tourigny (in collaboration with Nicolas Grenier) / translation : Jo-Anne Balcaen

N.B. : 3 representations by week, alternatley in french and in english. For a detailed schedule and to reserve your place (free of charge) : HERE