Elsa Werth, Blind Smile, 2021, exhibition view at LG_2

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Blind Smile
2021. Installation, yellow paint, wires, chains, ropes, bungee cords, variable dimensions
>>> Blind Smile composes a repertoire of manufactured objects borrowed from activities outside the field of art: electric cables, chains, ropes, turnbuckles, etc... Their shape evokes smileys made of constraining materials bending under their own weight.



Elsa Werth, HA HA HA - Social Climbing, 2018_vue2

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HA HA HA - Social Climbing
2018. Aluminium ladder, colored adhesive, 464 x 35 x 5 cm
HA HA HA HA HA are the letters revealed by the addition of colored adhesive lines on the rungs of a ladder.
This work, which diverts a common work tool, evokes the alienated or disillusioned laughter of those who try to climb up the social ladder.



Elsa Werth, Broken Currencies, exhibition view_1

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Broken Currencies
2022. Painted steel, variable dimensions
Work displayed at Entre deux portes, 64 rue de Namur in Brussels from 17.06 to 16.07.22
>>> The Euro, the Dollar and the Yuan, the currencies that dominate the markets are presented broken down and displayed in shop windows in a central district of Brussels where the luxury stores are located.



Elsa Werth, Agenda, 2022_web

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Agenda
2022. Engraved metal coin, Ø 2.7 cm, 1000 copies edited by Pernod Ricard Foundation, Paris
>>> Agenda proposes the rule of an everyday game: “Flip the coin everyday”. It consists of flipping a coin each morning to decide whether our day will be off or on, thus allowing chance to redefine our relationship to time and productivity.
On one side, the inscription MONDAY, followed by WORK TODAY, urges us to work. On the other side, SUNDAY, followed by DO NOT WORK TODAY, calls for free time. The week thus redefined by chance becomes dynamic.



Elsa Werth, Abacrabadra, 2022, exhibition view_1

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Abacrabadra!
2022. Installation, adhesive vinyl, variable dimension
This site specific project plastered over the entire glass facade of a building is an anagram of the famous magic spell ‘Abracadabra’.Located in Romainville this project refers directly to the ‘magic’ gentrification of the district by developers with the implantation of artists’ studios, galleries, art centers.After the ‘Abracadabra’ spell which made rabbits come out of hats, the anagram ‘Abacrabadra!’ grows brand new apartments from brownfields.



3.Elsa Werth, The Gift, 2022_view1

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The Gift
2022. Wrapping paper, ribbon, variable dimension
>>> The Gift consists in wrapping an architectural element (the central column in the exhibition space) as a shimmering gift package.






Handmade
2022. Video projection, color, silent, loop, 29’18’’ [excerpt : 0’39’’]




Elsa Werth, Magic Stick, Breaking News, 2022

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Magic Stick Breaking News
2022. Painted wood, 165 x 9 x 9 cm




Elsa Werth, Magic Stick, World News view 1, 2022

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Magic Stick World News
2022. Painted wood, 170 x 9 x 9 cm




Elsa Werth, Magic Stick, Live News, 2022, view4

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Magic Stick Live News
2022. Painted wood, 160 x 9 x 9 cm




Elsa Werth, Un jour dans le monde (4oct.2019)_8

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Un jour dans le Monde (4 octobre 2019)
Edited by Centre des livres d’artistes, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche. Black and white offset, 32 pages, 47,5 x 33 cm, unlimited edition
>>> The daily newspaper «Le Monde» of October 4, 2019 is erased so as to reveal only the names of the countries mentioned in the articles.
The meaning of « Le Monde » shifts to become the title of an unexpected atlas shaped by the latest news.



Elsa Werth, Die Welt, 2020_view1

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Die Welt (Mittwoch, 29. Januar 2020)
Paris : artist edition, color offset, 24 pages, 50,5 x 35,5 cm
>>> The daily newspaper «Die Welt» of January 29, 2020 is erased so as to reveal only the names of the countries mentioned in the articles.
The meaning of «Die Welt» shifts to become the title of an unexpected atlas shaped by the latest news.



Elsa Werth, El Mundo, 2020_view 1

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El Mundo (Lunes 9 de Marzo de 2020)
Paris : artist edition, color offset, 56 pages, 26,5 x 37 cm
>>> The daily newspaper «El Mundo» of March 9, 2020 is erased so as to reveal only the names of the countries mentioned in the articles.
The meaning of «El Mundo» shifts to become the title of an unexpected atlas shaped by the latest news.





Color Strip
2019. Video, color, silent, 14’28, [extract 1’18]
>>> In this video, the flags of the 197 countries in the world are assembled one by one, so as to form a continuous stream of colors, strips and signs pave the way for new pictorial compositions.This stream is punctuated by stops at the junction of two flags which produce unexpected graphic compositions and encounters. Familiar national symbols suddenly vanish and open upon new horizons…



E.Werth, Unpredictable Border, 2019, view_web1

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Unpredictable Border
2019. Print on polyester, 100 x 150 cm
>>> A red line endlessly contorted into infinite random drawings. Or how to slip from a fixed to a flexible border.



Elsa Werth, Compass, 2019_exhibition view 1

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Compass
2019. Sticks to throw, engraved aluminium, 8 x 1 x 1 cm, edition of 6 copies edited by Interface Dijon
>>> At the junction between language and chance, Compass underscores the relationship between fate and choice.



Elsa Werth, ‘Trait de coupe’, 2016, collage, 45 x 57 cm

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Cutting Line
2016. Collage on paper, 45 x 60 cm




15.E.Werth, Anywayland vue expo_15

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Stopper Knot
2019. Black polypropylene yarn diameter 3 mm, blue polypropylene yarn diameter 1 mm, variable dimensions
>>> This work is composed of two strings in tension (one black and one blue) linked together by a simple knot.
This gesture of bringing two elements together is also what divides the exhibition space in two.



Elsa Werth, Expanding the Margin Lines, 2019_view4

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Expanding the Margin Lines
2019. Offset print on adhesive tape, 5 x 660 cm, édition of 2000 copies
Work commissioned by Adhex Technologies in Chenôve, project running from January 2020 to January 2021
>>> A tape made for all the shipments of Adhex Tecnhologies Company. Every use of this adhesive tape on parcels generates an ephemeral sculpture which can be seen during the process of shipment before it vanishes as soon as the parcel is opened.



Elsa Werth, Plus ou Moins, 2023_view 5

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Plus ou Moins
2023. Printed dice, variable dimensions, 100 copies edited by Lendroit Editions, Rennes.



Elsa Werth, Three Shifts, 2019-2020, 17h31min

Three Shifts
2019-2020. Processing program and video presented on a flat screen, 24 hours, 1080p. [extract 07‘04‘‘]
>>> A real-time video clock made from 1440 one minute videos (= 24 hours).Each sequence shows hands of different workers from an Industrial Company holding time during 1 minute.This project is about work, the repetitive and precise gestures required in the factory.My intention here is to highlight the relationship that binds time and work to the individual.To point out the confrontation between a person and standardized goods produced by the company.

Link to see the work online



Elsa Werth, The Negotiation Game, 2021_view1

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The Negotiation Game
2021. Edited by Centre des Livres d'Artistes, St-Yrieix-la-Perche.
Printed playing cards, 8,5 x 5,4 cm.
1st edition of 30 copies signed and numbered.
2nd edition of 100 copies.
>>> The terms WIN, LOSE and COMPROMISE refer as much to the game vocabulary as to the different agreements to which a commercial or political negotiation can lead: win-win, lose-lose, win-lose, compromise...Put on playing cards, these formulas reflect the violence of power relations.



Elsa Werth, ‘Victory Eraser IV’, 2013, pochettes cartonnees, elastiques, rivets metalliques, bois peint, 24x34x2cm

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Victory Eraser (I to X)
2013. Cardboard office folder, elastic, metallic rivets, painted wood, 24 x 34 x 2 cm (each)



Elsa Werth, ‘Conflit dans le secteur tertiaire II’

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Conflict in the Service Sector (I - X)
2013. Ballpoint pen drawing on administrative envelope, glass, 33 x 24 cm



Elsa Werth, 27.7, 2023, at night

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24 - 7
2023. Print on pvc canvas, 260 x 390 cm
Work displayed at B09K in Changsha (China) from 18.06 to 16.07.2023
>>> This project humorously juxtaposes the image of the moon, a symbol of celestial time, with the relentless concept of 24/7 time, unearthing the haunting disconnection and alienation that arise from our consumerist lifestyle.




Elsa Werth, vue d exposition - Temps Partiel, 2019_vue3

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Eclipse
2018. Installation, filmed plywood, steel hinges variable dimensions
solo show at Centre d'art de l'Onde, Vélizy-Villacoublay, January 19, 2019 - March 23, 2019




Elsa Werth, A Emporter, 2022, vue exposition Lendroit, Rennes_1

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Sur Place - À Emporter
2022. Edited by Lendroit Editions, Rennes.
Color print on pvc banner, 136 x 376 cm, double-sided color print on 350g card, edition of 200 copies
Work displayed at Lendroit Editions in Rennes from 06.08 to 01.10.22
>>> This project proposes a display seen from outside which is to “takeaway” and an exhibition to be seen “on site” inside the shop of Lendroit editions in Rennes. The principle of this exhibition is to take up the terms “on site” and to “takeaway” usually associated with material subjects and to shift them in the field of the art, thus raising the question of the consumption of culture.



Elsa Werth, Meeting Point, 2022, wall painting_view2

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Meeting Point
2022. Wall painting, site specific installation, variable dimension
Black and white offset, 88 pages, 19 x 12 cm, edition of 200 copies
Work commissioned by Spvie Assurances and displayed for one year at 26 Rue Pagès in Suresnes
>>> The statement MEETING POINT is simultaneously given to read in its signage function and disturbed by the typographic game which interrupts and slows down its perception, almost making it stutter. The fragmentation of syllables on the wall, the intrusion of punctuation marks (exclamation, interrogation, suspension) leave an uncertainty about the possibility of meeting.



Elsa Werth, ‘Perspectives provisoires’, 2017, vue d’exposition_20

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Vanishing Point
2017. Ink stamp, variable dimension, performance



Elsa Werth, ‘Perspectives provisoires, 2017, installation modulable (5 variations)_5

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Temporary Perspectives
2017. Modular installation (5 variations), cotton webbing, buckles, rivets, metal hooks, variable dimensions
>>> Made with red straps the Temporary Perspectives suggest modular stylized space.By creating artificial vanishing points that alter our vision of the exhibition room, this work opens up new perspectives on the viewer’s environment.



Elsa Werth, ‘Perspectives provisoires’, 2017, vue d’exposition_21

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Variable Geometry (Hours, Minutes, Seconds)
2017. Modified clocks, unlimited duration, Ø 30 cm


Variable Geometry (web) link to see the web version



Elsa Werth, Signatures, 2018, Calculated Chance_ exhibition view 1

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Signatures
2018. Black cotton thread, peper, 29,7 x 21 cm, edition of 100
>>> This work is about the boundary between the act of drawing and writing.It consists in dropping a piece of black thread on a sheet of A4 paper and leaving the result to chance.This generates an infinity of random signatures which are also abstract drawings.The signature of a work of art, a major component of its financial value, is generally composed by the artist.The work challenges this convention and passes on the privilege of the signature to anyone or just to chance.



Elsa Werth, ‘Perspectives provisoires’, 2017, vue d’exposition_23

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Recovery Strategy (I - XXVIII)
2017. Adhesive vinyl, mixed material, variable dimensions



Elsa Werth, ‘[x]’, 2014, crochets x laitonnes, dimensions variables. Vue d’exposition, ‘Ateliers ouverts’, Beaux-arts de Paris, 2014

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[ x ]
2014. x hooks n° 2 et 3 variaable dimensions
>>> [ x ] is made from hooks of two different shapes, arranged to create an all-over pattern on a wall surface with elements usually hidden.This work foils the codes, the hanging conventions: the hooks traditionally used to install an artwork in a domestic context, are here diverted from their function.The accumulation and regular rhythm of the hooks makes any attempt to hang them obsolete, the support replaces the works.



Elsa Werth_Titre un à usage multiple_Bazar Compatible Program 138_2016_vue3

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Title One for Multiple Uses
installation, cardboards, variable dimensions
solo show at Bazaar Compatible Program, Shanghai, December 27, 2016 - Januray 06, 2017
>>> The Bazaar Compatible Program was an exhibition space that played with the overlapping interpretations of multiple audiences intersecting in a popular market in Shanghai.This exhibition was constructed in dialogue with the market context. The forms are presented as consumer products.Abstract surfaces, silhouettes of common goods, quotes from packaging are placed on the same level.These suspended and isolated shadows oscillate between potential functionality and abstraction.An oversized cardboard cut-out evokes a totem in the middle of objects dedicated to the rituals of the market.This set of hybrid elements blurs the border between merchandise and representation.



1.Elsa Werth, Welcome, 2022_view1

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Welcome
2022. Red flag garland, site specific installation, variable dimension
>>> A minimal monster head with two eyes and teeth made of a garland of red triangle pennant flags that alternatively eats and spits the public.




Elsa Werth, L’action cesse, Duplex Walden, Geneve, 2018, vue d’exposition_8.jpg

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L’action cesse (I - X)
2018. Silkscreen print on paper, 68 x 88 cm, 10 copies edited by Éditions Atelier Arcay
>>> In this work the vocabulary of struggles and power relations used in board games is shifted.Associating the end-of-game sentences with the disembodied abstract grids is a way to reinvent the geometrical patterns occurring in art history.The work underlines the antagonisms that govern behaviors both outside and inside the field of art.



Elsa Werth, ‘Manifeste’, 2016_1

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Manifest
2016. Ink stamp [Precarious Shape Visible on this Day with no Manifest Value]
>>> An ephemeral trace doomed to disappear. This performance proposes, in a very minimalist form, a reflexion on the financial value, production, permanency and property of an art work.



Elsa Werth, Mainmise, 2019, vue2

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Stranglehold
2019. Print on polyester, 100 x 150 cm
Work commissioned by Centre des Livres d'artistes in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche.



Elsa_Werth_Valeur ajoutée_1_ 2017

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Added Value
2017. Edited by Un pain Collection, Paris.
Ceramic, coins, variable dimensions.



Elsa Werth, 1000 euros, 2018, video, vue d exposition_14

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Magic Trick (*1)
2018. Vidéo, color, silent, loop, 8‘33‘‘
This work questions the generalized belief in the economy, in growth and production.The video presents a blow up of one euro coins and shiny packaging, candy paper, pieces of aluminum, small bits of junk. In this work, I confront the coin (money) with a poor but formally close, shiny element (scrap).A disturbing metaphor for financial operations that create capital, debts etc...



Elsa Werth Skewers_10, 2020

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Skewers
2020. Various hardware material, 40 x 4,5 x 3 cm (approx. each)



Elsa Werth, Recto Verso, 2014, 119 x 84 cm, view 2

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Recto/Verso
2014. Black and white print on blueback posters dispayed in public space, 119 x 84 cm



Elsa Werth, Ok Stop (IX), 2021

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Ok Stop (I - IX)
2021. Stickers on black paper, 29,7 x 21 cm



Elsa Werth, Vue d’exposition, Quelques manuscrits trouvés dans une cervelle_4

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Dice
2016. Torn paper, black pushpins, variable dimensions
>>> The six sides of a die made of a torn sheet of paper are pinned on the wall.



Elsa Werth, vue d’exposition Primo Piano, Paris 2014.1

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Garde-Titre, Sans Fou
2014. Screen printing on carpet, 330 x 220 cm



Elsa Werth, ‘Titre un à usage multiple’_Vue d’exposition_1

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Hang-Handle
2016. Installation, cotton fabric, straps, hooks, variable dimensions




Elsa Werth Ligne de mire vue ensemble 1

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Sight-Line (I - IX)
2015. Installation, cotton fabric, métal, 50 x 40 x 35 cm (each).




Elsa Werth, ‘7 contre 1’, 2015_vue d’ensemble

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7 to 1 / 5 to 1 / 30 to 1
2015. Installation, cotton fabric, metal 120 x 133 x 4 cm (each).




Elsa Werth, ‘Titre deux à usage unique’_detail, 2016

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Title Two For a Single Use
2016. Floor drawing, white pastel, 390 x 350 cm



Elsa Werth, ‘Titre un à usage unique’_vue_2, 2016

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Title One For a Single Use
2016. Floor drawing, white pastel, 370 x 422 cm



Elsa Werth, Solution de repli, 2013_1

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Fallback Solution
2013. Folding chairs, metal eyelets, strap, bumbag, 80 x 47 x 80 cm
Work displayed from 09.03 to 11.03.2013 on Gustave Goublier Street, 75002, Paris