Born in 1970 in France, Cécile Dupaquier has been working and living in Berlin since 2004. From 1988 to 1993 she studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Lyon, where she obtained a post-graduate scholarship in 1995. Her connections with Germany began with a Rhône-Alpes and Baden-Württemberg residency at the Institut français in Stuttgart in 1997–98, followed by a solo exhibition at Kunstmuseum Bonn in 2001 (in partnership with Musée d’art contemporain, Lyon). In 2003 she was an artist-in-residence at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, where she exhibited the following year. She then decided to settle permanently in the German capital.
Her artistic practice is based on the transformation and manipulation (assembling, cutting or folding) of simple construction materials. A piece of plasterboard becomes a ‘tableau’, foam insulation sheets cover the floor and adapt to the surrounding walls, polystyrene or hardboard panels turn into large freestanding sculptures. The raw materials are slightly modified, simultaneously revealing their structural limits and intrinsic beauty.
She develops site-specific installations in dialogue with the architecture of the exhibition space whose components are subsequently destroyed or recycled in other exhibitions, as in Extension 1/1 (Piano Nobile, Geneva, 2005), die Fabrik (Stadt Haus Raum, Städtische Galerie Ostfildern, 2009), Wracks (Musée Georges Garret, Vesoul, 2012) or Wandwand (Galerie weisser elefant, Berlin, 2015). At the same time, she conceives and implements large-scale projects and public artworks in France, Switzerland and Germany.
In 2012, she obtained a studio grant from the Kulturwerk des bbk berlin, which, in addition to her installations, enabled her to create permanent pieces such as the Tableaus series, first shown as part of a solo exhibition at Daniel Marzona Gallery in Berlin in 2017. Since then, her works have been included in exhibitions at Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp (2017), Thomas Rehbein Galerie, Cologne, and Mehdi Chouakri, Berlin (2018) and Galerie Kuckei+Kuckei, Berlin (2022). She also participated in exhibitions at Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, Poland (2017), Le 19 - CRAC, Montbéliard (2021), the Museum Biennale Krasnoyarsk (2021) and Kunstverein Ingolstadt (2022). In 2021 she received a working grant from the Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn.
Her artistic practice is based on the transformation and manipulation (assembling, cutting or folding) of simple construction materials. A piece of plasterboard becomes a ‘tableau’, foam insulation sheets cover the floor and adapt to the surrounding walls, polystyrene or hardboard panels turn into large freestanding sculptures. The raw materials are slightly modified, simultaneously revealing their structural limits and intrinsic beauty.
She develops site-specific installations in dialogue with the architecture of the exhibition space whose components are subsequently destroyed or recycled in other exhibitions, as in Extension 1/1 (Piano Nobile, Geneva, 2005), die Fabrik (Stadt Haus Raum, Städtische Galerie Ostfildern, 2009), Wracks (Musée Georges Garret, Vesoul, 2012) or Wandwand (Galerie weisser elefant, Berlin, 2015). At the same time, she conceives and implements large-scale projects and public artworks in France, Switzerland and Germany.
In 2012, she obtained a studio grant from the Kulturwerk des bbk berlin, which, in addition to her installations, enabled her to create permanent pieces such as the Tableaus series, first shown as part of a solo exhibition at Daniel Marzona Gallery in Berlin in 2017. Since then, her works have been included in exhibitions at Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp (2017), Thomas Rehbein Galerie, Cologne, and Mehdi Chouakri, Berlin (2018) and Galerie Kuckei+Kuckei, Berlin (2022). She also participated in exhibitions at Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, Poland (2017), Le 19 - CRAC, Montbéliard (2021), the Museum Biennale Krasnoyarsk (2021) and Kunstverein Ingolstadt (2022). In 2021 she received a working grant from the Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn.
2022 Artist Scholarship “Neustart Kultur”, Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn (D)
2021 first prize (project "Zick-Zack"), public art competition, BKA (Federal Criminal Police Office) Berlin (D)
2021 second prize (project "Recherche"), public art competition, BKA Berlin (D)
2021 Artist Scholarship, Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn (D)
2020 Artist Scholarship "Sonderstipendium", Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa, Berlin (D)
2018 Nominated for the art award of Haus am Kleistpark Berlin (D)
2011-12 Artist in residence, at Collège Gérôme, Vesoul, DRAC Franche-Comté (F)
2004 Artist in residence Internationale Sommerakademie, at Museumspark Rüdersdorf, Akademie der Künste Berlin (D)
2003 Artist in residence "Die junge Akademie", Akademie der Künste, Berlin (D)
2001 Artist in residence, St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Galerie Angle and DRAC Rhône-Alpes (F)
1997/98 Artist in residence "Art 3", at Institut français Stuttgart, Region Rhône-Alpes & Baden-Württemberg (D)
1996 Artist grant "Aide individuelle à la création", DRAC Rhône-Alpes (F)
1994-95 Post-graduate grant at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, Lyon (F)
Solo exhibitions
2023 “dark shining bright”, Galerie Mathias Güntner, Hamburg (D)
2017 "Wall Works", Galerie Daniel Marzona, Berlin (D)
2016 "private viewing", Fürbringerstraße 20, Berlin (D)
2015 "depot interim", Atelier Wilhelmstraße 16 e.V, Stuttgart (D)
2015 "multi pli", Galerie weisser elefant, Berlin (D)
2013 "Das Versteck", Ozean, Berlin (D)
2012 "Epaves", Musée Georges Garret, Vesoul (F)
2008 "Par déduction", Galerie de l’école Supérieure d’Arts de Brest (F)
2006 "Extension! Réduction!", Espace Arts plastiques, Vénissieux (F)
2005 "Accumulation! Extension!", Galerie Piano Nobile, Geneva (CH)
2003 "1m/seconde", Galerie du Dourven, Bretagne (F)
2001 "ArtLiaisonBonnLyon", Kunstmuseum Bonn (D)
2000 "Il arrive que rien n’arrive", Galerie Piano Nobile, Geneva (CH)
1999 "Tentative de rapprochement", L’Arteppes, Annecy (F)
1998 "Vidéogramme 4 (videochronics)", Galerie Interface MMM, Marseille (F)
1998 "j.e.v.o.u.l.a.i.s.v.o.u.s.d.i.r.e.", Galerie le Faubourg, Strasbourg (F)
1998 "528 heures, 400 sacs d’eau, 1 goutte à goutte et buée", Institut français, Stuttgart (D)
1997 "Passe-moi le sel", Galerie la BF15, Lyon (F)
Group exhibitions
2023 “Bildet Banden”, SETAREH, Berlin (D)
2023 “Minimal”, Larc, Grasse (F)2023 “Joue-la encore, Sam” (municipal collection of Vénissieux), Centre d’art Madeleine Lambert, Venissieux (F)
2023 “The Joy of Gestures”, Palais Eger, Berlin (D)
2023 “Relief”, B-Part Exhibition, Berlin (D)
2023 “Geschnitten Brot”, Zwinger Galerie, Berlin
2023 “hier und jetzt”, Basement, Berlin (D)
2022 “blind vision”, Treptow Ateliers, Berlin (D)
2022 “Et même la matière parle”, Siège de l’Ordre des experts-comptables, Paris (F)
2022 "random repeat refine", Kunstverein Ingolstadt (D)
2022 "Die Obiger Galaxis", Axel Obiger, Berlin
2022 "Metalinien", curated by Rüdiger Lange, B-Part Exhibition, Berlin (D)
2022 "random repeat refine", Galerie Kuckei + Kuckei, Berlin (D)
2021 "очумелая выставка", Museum Ploshad Mira, Krasnoyarsk, commissioned by the Goethe-Institut Novosibirsk for the Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale 2021 (RU)
2021 "Le soleil se lève aussi", un-spaced Gallery at Manifesta, Lyon (F)
2021 "Prismatiques, stratégie des petites faces", Le 19 - CRAC, Montbéliard (F)
2020 "ArtVerona yellow", un-spaced Gallery at online exhibition Art Verona (IT)
2020 "all over", Galerie Mathias Günther, Hamburg (D)
2020 "Accumulation (suite 2020)", performance at the opening of "Avant demain" curated by Karine Tissot (from the collection FCAC Geneva), on a proposal by Marie-Ève Knoerle, Château de Penthes, Pregny (CH)
2020 "Home Sweet Home - Art in House Arrest", online group exhibition, Gallery Jordan/Seydoux — Drawings & Prints, Berlin (D)
2020 "Infinité ∞² – für Éliane Radigue", Galerie weisser elefant, Berlin (D)
2019 "L'artiste et les commissaires", curated by Pierre Granoux, LAGE EGAL, Berlin (D)
2019 "Alles auf einmal….und der mond", curated by Annette Ruenzler, Adamski Gallery, Berlin (D)
2019 "Faktor 92", Maren & Matthias Wagener's collection, Künstlerhaus Faktor, Hamburg (D)
2019 "alternative >f>acts", curated by DAG (GLUE), Laura Mars Gallery, Berlin (D)
2019 "Perron-Kunstpreis", Kunsthaus Frankenthal (D)
2019 "26x Bauhaus", curated by Marjolaine Lévy & Thibaut de Ruyter and , Institut Français Berlin, Bremen & Munich (D)
2019 "INTOTO #7", curated by Thomas Fougeirol, Julien Carreyn and Renaud Regnery, Kunstverein am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin (D)
2018 "transition", Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin (D)
2018 "BACKSTAGE: die Rückseite 3",curated by Burkhard Brunn, Galerie Thomas Rehbein, Cologne (D)
2018 "fug(u)e", with Clara Broermann, Frauenmuseum Berlin e.V. guest at Kommunale Galerie Berlin (D)
2018 "BACKSTAGE: die Rückseite 2", curated by Burkhard Brunn, Galerie Mehdi Chouakri, Berlin (D)
2018 "FIGURE [OUT]", curated by Pascal Brateau, idiotopie, Nancy (F)
2017 "Espace libre", Galerie weisser Elefant, Berlin (D)
2017 "BACKSTAGE: die Rückseite - the rear side", curated by Burkhard Brunn, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp (B)
2017 "&", curated by Thibaut de Ruyter, Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź (P)
2017 "Reduzieren als Verdichtung", curated by Burkhard Brunn, Galerie Mathias Güntner, Hamburg (D)
2017 "Unfinished sympathy", curated by Nadia Lichtig, Salon du Salon #13, Marseille (F)
2017 "some thing", curated by Albert Weis, Kosmetiksalon Babette, Berlin (D)
2017 "Comme les chutes d'eau déjà tremblent dedans la source", Espace Arts Plastiques Madeleine-Lambert, Vénissieux (F)
2016 "pilote : pilote", curated by Monique Wysterski, SEZ, Berlin (D)
2016 "True Mirror", Espace Commines, Paris (F)
2015 "Tu alles weg, 100 Jahre Schwarzes Quadrat", Galerie weisser elefant, Berlin (D)
2015 "Sans titres ( ) #2", Galerie un-spaced, Paris (F)
2014 "Raumbestandserhebung", curated by Conny Becker, Kleine Humboldt Galerie, Humboldt University Berlin (D)
2014 "Kentucky Karaoke", DMNDKT, Berlin (D)
2014 "SSIIEE four, SSIIEE" independent exhibition project, Berlin (D)
2013 "Variable Surplus" (with Markus Zimmermann), NuN, Berlin (D)
2013 "Raum", curated by Conny Becker and Marte Kiessling, Tête, Berlin (D)
2012 "Raum ermessen", Pforzheim Galerie (D)
2012 "Des accords parfaits", Espace Arts plastiques Vénissieux and CAP Saint-Fons (F)
2012 "Replay", Galerie du Dourven, Bretagne (F)
2011 "Konstruktion Dekonstruktion", Projektraum Alte Feuerwache, Berlin (D)
2011 "Urzula", German video works, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences (J)
2010 "Folly. Orte Zum Verweilen", Seeschlößchen Wustrau, Brandenburg (D)
2010 "Quatrain", Dada Post, Berlin (D)
2010 "Void", Friedman Galerie Projekt, Berlin (D)
2009 "Und... Und!" (with Gab Heller), Spor klübü, Berlin (D)
2009 "Stadt Haus Raum" (with Ines Doleschal), Städtische Galerie Ostfildern (D)
2008 "Brest" (with Antonio Panetta), Showroom, Berlin (D)
2008 "Biotop", tmp.deluxe, temporary space for art&media, Berlin (D)
2007 "Steady state", Gewölbekeller in der alten Königstadt Berlin (D)
2006 "Videofoyer" (with Peter Frey), Künstlerhaus Saarbrücken (D)
2005 "Passion beyond reason", curated by G.Rockenschaub & G.Miller, Wallstreet one gallery, Berlin (D)
2005 "Junge Akademie", Galerie Palais am Festungsgraben, Berlin (D)
2004 "Departure/arrival", Junge Akademie in der Stadtgalerie, Saarbrücken (D)
2004 "Werkstatt Junge Akademie", Akademie der Künste, Berlin (D)
2004 "Urzula", aktuelle Videokunst, curated by Gab. Heller, Galerie Pankow, Berlin (D)
2001 "L’intimité (à vendre)", Institut français, Stuttgart (D)
2001 "Tentative d’intégration" (with selected works from FRAC Rhône-Alpes), Galerie Angle, St Paul-Trois-Châteaux (F)
2000 "Entre voisins", Galerie Duchamp, Yvetot and La BF15, Lyon (F)
1999 "Face à face", (with Dominique Blaise), Galerie Piano Nobile, Geneva (CH)
1998 "25th art fair of young artists", Galerie Karas Zagreb (HR)
1998 "Art fair Guadalajara", Galerie la BF15 (MEX)
1997 "Des femmes et de la propriété", Galerie du Dourven, Bretagne (F)
1997 "Quand les machines rient", Centre d’Art et de Plaisanterie, Montbéliard (F)
1996 "Les enfants des Lumière", Espace Arts Plastiques, Villefranche (F)
1996 "Portes ouvertes", Musée d’Art Contemporain, Lyon (F)
1996 "Dusolal Macanru Ponkibruhu!" , Centre d’Art Plastique, St-Fons (F)
1995 "Critique-critique", Cité de l’Image, Lyon (F)
1995 "Critique-critique", Galerie Nuova Icona, Venedig (I)
Public commissions
2023 “flow” (project), Federal Office for Radiation Protection in Neuherberg, BImA (D)
2023 “Schwuppdiwupp” (project), elementary school Adalbertstraße 53, Bezirksamt Mitte von Berlin (D)
2022 “Goldader” (project), invited for the public art competition for RMCC Wiesbaden (D)
2021-2025 "Zick-Zack" (first prize), BKA (Federal Criminal Police Office Germany) Puschkinallee 52, Berlin, Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben (BImA) Bonn (D)
2021 "Recherche" (project, second prize), BKA (Federal Criminal Police Office Germany) Puschkinallee 52, Berlin, Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben (BImA) Bonn (D)
2021 "da! und da! und da!" (project), elementary school Konrad-Wolf-Str. 11, district office Lichtenberg of Berlin (D)
2021 "Die große Spirale" (project), Helmholtz Diabetes Center (HDC) and Helmholtz Pioneer Campus (HPC), Helmholtz Zentrum München (D)
2016 "Hoppla!" (project), School Kopernikus, Bezirksamt Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Berlin (D)
2015 "Die passage" (project), Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) in Dessau -Roßlau, Landesbetrieb BLSA (D)
2015 Entre autres (project), Primary School/sports hall « Le Sapay » in La Chapelle-Les-Sciers, Fonds de décoration de Plan-Les-Ouates and Fonds d’art visuel de Lancy (CH)
2014 "Die Farbenstange" (project), research and laboratory building for the life sciences, Humboldt University Berlin, Senatskanzlei (D)
2014 "Die sieben Säule" (project), elementary school Habichtshorst in Berlin-Biesdorf Süd, Bezirksamt Marzahn-Hellersdorf von Berlin (D)
2014 "La traversée", Lycée Jacques Brel, Vénissieux, Région Rhône-Alpes (F)
2013 "Die fünf Steine" (project), Experimental Research Center, Max-Delbrück-Centrum, Berlin-Buch (D)
2013 "La pile" (project), Collège La Champagne in Brochon, Conseil Général de la Côte-d’Or (F)
2013 "Les trois feuilles" (project), mediathèque/école d’art, Mairie de L’île-Saint-Louis (F)
2012 "und andere" (project), Kunsthain Berlin Airport, Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (D)
2012 "Tapis vert", IUFM, Le Mans, Conseil Général de la Sarthe (F)
2012 "Sans titre" (project/with Betrand Saugier), Lycée de l’hôtellerie et de la restauration in Ifs, Région Basse Normandie (F)
2011 "Les agglomérats" (with Bertrand Saugier), Commune de Plan-les-Ouates (CH)
2011 "Extension latérale" (project), Collège in Ligné, Conseil Général de Loire-Atlantique
2010 "Le grand bond" (with Bertrand Saugier), Lycee Pins-Justaret, Région Midi-Pyrénées (F)
2010 "Sans titre" (project/with Bertrand Saugier), Collège in Loupian, Conseil Général de l’Hérault (F)
2009 "fünfmal und" (project), Grimm-Zentrum der Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Senatskanzlei (D)
2009 "Le pli" (project), Cité scolaire Jean Moulin, Région Rhône-Alpes (F)
2009 "Sans titre" (project/with Bertrand Saugier), Collège in Carbon Blanc, CG de la Gironde (F)
2008 "Non rien mais ... Oui?", Collège La mézière, Conseil Général d’Ille-et-Vilaine (F)
2008 "Sans titre" (with Betrand Saugier), groupe scolaire Le Nautilus, Communauté d’agglomération Cergy Pontoise (F)
2008 "RJVB", festival of lights «Les concerts allumés», TAP, Poitiers (F)
2007 "RJVB Composition pour deux arbres", festival Arbres&Lumières, Geneva (CH)
2007 "Sans titre" (project/with Betrand Saugier), Université Technologique Compiègne, CR Picardie (F)
2007 "Sans titre" (project/with Betrand Saugier), Collège Les provinces in Blois, CG du Loir-et-Cher (F)
2006 "Sans titre", Collège Anne Franck, St-Dizier, Conseil Général Haute Marne (F)
2005 "Les yeux de la nuit" (with Bertrand Saugier), festival of lights, Geneva (CH)
2002 "Gewalt-Gebrauchsanweisung", Gärten der Gewalt, Expo.02, Murten (CH)
2000 "Sans titre", tram stop "Condorcet", Lyon-Villeurbanne, Sytral (F)
Collections
Private collections in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Saarland, Milan (I), Lyon (F), Los Angeles (USA), Brüssel (B)
Publications
2021 "очумелая выставка", exhibition catalogue, 14th Krasnoyarsk Biennale, Museum Ploshad Mira, Krasnoyarsk, commissioned by the Goethe-Institut 2019 "weiß obskur", catalogue published by "ArtInFlow", text by Thibaut de Ruyter
2019 "26x Bauhaus", exhibition brochure, bureau des arts plastiques - institut français Germany in cooperation with 100 Years of Bauhaus, texts by Tony Côme, Marjolaine Lévy and Thibaut de Ruyter.
2018 "Unfinished Sympathy", exhibition brochure Maison de Heidelberg in Montpellier, Goethe Institut, texts by Nadia Lichtig, Ludwig Seyfarth and Katharina Schmidt
2017-18 "Backstage: the rear side (1-3)", exhibition brochure Galerie Sofie Van de Velde (Antwerp), Mehdi Chouakri (Berlin) and Galerie Thomas Rehbein (Cologne), text by Burkhard Brunn
2015 "Tu alles weg, 100 Jahre Schwarzes Quadrat", exhibition catalogue, Galerie weisser Elefant, Berlin
2014 "Raumbestandserhebung", Kleine Humboldt Galerie Berlin, text by Conny Becker
2012 "Vrac Wrack II" (exhibition views), Espace Piano Nobile Geneva
2011 "Vrac Wrack I", SEPR Lyon
2009 "Stadt Haus Raum", with Ines Doleschal, Städtische Galerie Ostfildern, text by Ricarda Geib
2006 "Extension! Réduction!", Espace Arts plastiques Vénissieux, exhibition catalogue published by "la passe du vent", text by Marie de Brugerolle
2004 "Departure/arrival", Stadgalerie Saarbrücken / Akademie der Künste, exhibition catalogue published by "Kerber", text by Anne Giffon-Selle
2002 "Gärten der Gewalt", Expo.02 in Murten, published by "Croix Rouge Suisse"
2001 "ArtLiaisonBonnLyon", Kunstmuseum Bonn, text by Dr. Irene Kleinschmidt-Altpeter
2001 "Entre voisins" (with Paul Pouvreau, Cécile Le Talec, Marco Poloni), Galerie Duchamp, published by "petit format"
1999 "Toute nue" : Cécile Dupaquier, photos, drawings and text, published by "Edition Moreno"
1998 "Cécile Dupaquier", catalogue by Institut français Stuttgart and Art3 Valence, text by Claire Peillod
1998 "25th fair of young artists in Zagreb", exhibition catalogue
1997 "Des femmes et de la propriété", with Sharon Kivland, Galerie du Dourven, published by "Filigranes"
©Cécile Dupaquier 2024 and the respective authors.
Supported by Stiftung Kunstfonds / NEUSTART KULTUR
