A black and white image of a person with a bag over their head, holding their breath. — Simone Decker, *Air Bag*, 1997.

Long before they exploded and reduced the population of Gotham City to helplessness, balloons have always represented the principal expression of every holiday. Brightly colored, charming, floating freely with the wind, they invoke a feeling of exhilaration. Everyone loves inflatables : they fascinate children and reassure adults. Symbol of comfort (air cushions), of hip elegance (inflatable dresses) and of safety (airbags), they embody a vision of an inexhaustible confidence, as well as of a carefree and cheerful future. But what happens when this gentle and magical world threatens to explode at any moment? The exhibition, UNDER PRESSURE, plays with this uncertain moment, always filled with tension, of imminent explosion. A moment where our environment -usually so pretty, so smooth- is suddenly on permanent alert ; a moment where the feeling of failure lurks, ready to seep into the smallest gap, the tiniest crack, of a world on the point of bursting into shreds.

Artists:
Cercle Ramo Nash (F), Martin Creed (UK), Simone Decker (Lux),
Graham Durward (US), Fabrice Gygi, Eric Hattan (CH),
Pierre Joseph (F), Stéphane Magnin (F), Thom Merrick (US),
Takashi Murakami (J), Philippe Parreno (F), Stefan Pente (CH),
Henrik Plenge Jakobsen (DK), Pierre Reimer (F),
Roman Signer (CH), @Home (CH)

Curated by:
Marc-Olivier Wahler
in collaboration with Le 27ème Stratagème

Support:
AFAA, Association française d'action artistique
Cultural Services of the French Embassy
DCA, Danish Contemporary Art Foundation.

Thanks to:
Frac Nord-Pas de Calais, Dunquerque
CAN, Neuchâtel
Transfert, Biel
Galerie Art et Public, Genève
Attitudes, Genève
Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich
Mu.dac, Lausanne
Galerie Perrotin, Paris
Greene Naftali Gallery, New York
Antoine Vigne, New York

A panoramic view of the exhibition, including an inflated figure and other sculptural works. — Fabrice Gygi, *Minoviras*, 2000. Courtesy Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich.
Roman Signer, *Hooker mit Ballon*, 1993.
Takashi Murakami, *Mr Dob*, 1997. Courtesy Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris.
Pierre Reimer, *Micasa Tucasa*, 1999. 20 min., loop.
Cercle Ramo Nash, *Pffffft*, 1997. Yoon Ja & Paul Devautour coll., Nice. Courtesy Chantal Crousel, Paris.
Stefan Pente, *Untitled*, 1994. 3 min. 17 sec., loop.

A black and white photo of a person with a bag over their head with the air sucked out and tight against their face. — Simone Decker, *Air Bag*, 1997.

A panoramic view of the exhibition including sculptural and video installations. — Cercle Ramo Nash, *Pffffft*, 1997. Yoon Ja & Paul Devautour coll., Nice. Courtesy Chantal Crousel, Paris.
Stefan Pente, *Untitled*, 1994. 3 min. 17 sec., loop.
Fabrice Gygi, *Minoviras*, 2000. Courtesy Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich.
Thom Merrick, *Composition in Blue and White*, 1998.
Simone Decker, *Air Bag*, 1997. 60'', loop.

A closer view of the various sculptural and video installations in the gallery. — Fabrice Gygi, *Minoviras*, 2000; Courtesy Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich.
Thom Merrick, *Composition in Blue and White*, 1998.
Eric Hattan, *Air* , 1998.
Simone Decker, *Air Bag*, 1997.

A closer view of the various sculptural and video installations in the gallery with a person standing in the middle. — Fabrice Gygi, *Minoviras*, 2000. Courtesy Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich.
Roman Signer, *Hooker mit Ballon*, 1993.
Takashi Murakami, *Mr Dob*, 1997. Courtesy Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris.
Pierre Reimer, *Micasa Tucasa*, 1999. 20 min., loop.

A room with balloons on the ceiling, wall art in the center, and round clear balls along the floor. — @ Home, *Spheres*, 2000.
Philippe Parreno, *Speech Bubbles*, 1997. Courtesy Frac Nord-Pas de Calais, Dunkerque.
Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, *Everything is Wrong*, 1996.

A few people standing in a room completely filled with white balloons. — Martin Creed
*1/2 the air of the Gallery*
*Work No 200*
1998
(C) Galerie Art et Public