Semiose

Founded in 2007 in the 20th district of Paris before migrating to the Marais area in 2011, from the outset, Semiose established itself in the artistic landscape as a gallery, whose aesthetic values are rooted on the margins of art. Nourished by underground culture, the gallery is committed to forms and ideas born in the political, social and geographical fringes.

The practice of citation is a common reference point for the roster of artists represented by the gallery and raises complex issues related to the production and dissemination of images, the role and purpose of archives and visual culture in the broadest sense. Semiose champions an aesthetic based on questions of taste and consequently of cultural hierarchies. Techniques such as collage, appropriation and cultural subversion are shared by many of the artists, leading to a converging interest in referencing reality and the everyday world.

Younger artists are exhibited side by side with established names and figures of international renown. Over the years and through a patiently developed professional network, various institutions and public collections have forged strong links with artists promoted by the gallery. Semiose however, is committed to much more than simply representing artists: the gallery rigorously fulfills its role in the eco-system of art through its scientific and curatorial approach. It oversees the production of oeuvres and undertakes meticulous documentary and archival work around the artists it represents.

Semiose has also expanded its activities through a publishing house, Semiose éditions. Internationally available, more than a hundred titles have been published to date, including monographs, books by artists, written works and essays, an on-going magazine and a collection of coloring books.