Véronique Goël

Square

Video 2', loop, 2019

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In her work Square, Véronique Goël plays with the two meanings of this word: the flat shape and the public area. In a static shot, she precisely shows a square area that’s crossed by passers-by. Filmed from above, the ground takes up the whole screen. At the centre and on the ground, different materials compose a large square, acting as a frame within the frame, cut across by two horizontal lines, as the viewing switches between the two diagonals. Whether alone or in groups, the figures follow similar paths, with no interaction between the intersecting groups. The editing sometimes makes them disappear before they are off-camera, or appear halfway through, causing a disturbance in the perception of time. The lack of sound contributes to a derealisation of the scene. The total absence of décor focuses attention on the passers-by and the looping of the film, making their movements a form of urban choreography.

Production: Fonds cantonal d'art contemporain, Geneva

Autres artistes à Lancy-Bachet

Matthew Lutz-Kinoy

Lauren Huret

photo_véronique_goël_créditVéroniqueGoël

Véronique Goël was born in 1951 in Rolle, Switzerland. From 1967 to 1970, she first trained as a dressmaker and worked over the following years in haute couture and ready-to-wear in Rome and Brussels, then as a freelance dress designer. From 1975 to 1979, she studied painting and engraving at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne, then moving pictures at the film workshop of the Ecole supérieure d’arts visuels de Genève. She then moved to London, from 1983 to 1989, where she worked with the experimental American filmmaker Stephen Dwoskin. During her career, the artist received several awards, such as the Best Film Prize for Caprices in 1990 and the Best Project Prize for Kenwin in 1995, awarded by the Société Suisse des Auteurs. In 2007, she also received the Best Music Prize from the Berner Filmförderung, for Poble No. She also received several grants from the City of Geneva, and the WFAC grant for artists over 35. In 2004, she was an artist-in-residence in Barcelona with a scholarship from the Canton of Geneva.

Véronique Goël’s work focuses mainly on cinema and photography but has also included installations since the 2000s. Architecture, individuals, groups and social issues are at the heart of her work. The city is not only the place, but also the main protagonist of her work. For her, filming the city is like filming society.