Pierre Denan
Pierre Denan is the author of "Pourquoi Tom Cruise: Book 1" (2010), "Pourquoi Tom Cruise: Book 2" (2015) news ticker tales published by les Presses du réel as part of their Literature Collection—Fiction. He has also published: "Libre" (2002–2005), "Paradis" (2015), and "Voilà, A Collection, Notes for the Book to Come" (2016). His artwork is exhibited at Multiples Gallery, on the Internet and in artists' publications. His books on art include "Poulet Poulet", "R. Thomas", "JE", and "Dragon Eye". He has also contributed to "Grams of Art", and "AH AH AH". His paintings represent the bulk of  his visual diary, and are partly gathered in "Pierre Denan Diary: A Selection of Works", published by Presses du réel in 2014. Their formal vocabulary has been borrowed from Steven Parrino—though they have dropped the American artist's dramatic, deathlike dimension, as well as his elements of mannerism and folkloric post-punk and biker spirit. In 2000 he created M19, a press devoted to contemporary art. Since then, he has acted as both editor and artistic director for art books and journals such as: "MAP" (a pamphlet poster distributed in galleries at the beginning of the 2000s, 1200 copies ), "AH AH AH " a creative journal, "20/27" a critical art review, "2870 Grams of Art" an art journal, and "I.S. Inventaire Supplémentaire", a collection of art books. Career. Pierre Denan is the author of "Pourquoi Tom Cruise" (2007), a text with which he defined the "news ticker tale" concept, a genre inspired by the continuous display of news items at the bottom of some news channel screens. "Book 1" was published in 2010; "Book 2", in 2015; "Book 3" is currently in progress. He is also the author of "Libre" –a series of four texts that were printed as booklets  and made available to the public in galleries and other Paris-based contemporary art venues from 2002 to 2005–, of "Paradis" (2015), and "Voilà, A Collection, Notes for the Book to Come" (2016). His artwork is exhibited at Multiples Gallery, Paris, on the Internet, and in art journals. He is the author of artist's books. The generic titles of the different open works in progress in the framework of his art are: "Opening themes series", "Variations Marshall", and "Miss Manga Project". According to the artist, Miss Manga, a manipulated, black, monochromatic painting, forms the central part of his visual  journal. This artwork is in part gathered in "Pierre Denan Diary, a Selection of Works" (2014). In 2000 he created M19 Editions (May 19), which is devoted to contemporary art. The aim is for artists to release their unpublished works, critics and art historians to generate studies on art that is currently in progress, as well as "to bring theoretical criticism to the panorama of francophone reviews and direct access to artworks". Denan creates and publishes books and journals, acting as both editor and art director. In 2015, he founded JakeAfterShow, a creative studio, whose name evokes the legend of  an image of Jake, a guy we can imagine sitting on a couch after a fashion show, a party, perhaps photographed by Nan Goldin—, and which has the following baseline: we make stories. It will produce a print and web magazine in 2017. About "Pourquoi Tom Cruise", Denan has written:The news ticker tale "Pourquoi Tom Cruise" is a stroke, a flow with a form inspired by the continuous display of titles and dispatching of new media on the news channel screens. It is a narrative composed of elements hailing from online newsfeeds—a hot spot for fiction—, borrowings from  literature, references to films, music, and art, but also of a whole fictional, original context. It is characterized by the predictability of its contents, ceaselessly reverting to what has already been uttered. As the tale’s main character—and non-subject—Tom Cruise incarnates the paranoid, unabashed, terrorized, organized, young, sustainable hyperme of our hypermodern times. Here is a hyperCruise, a hypercharacter, the absolute trademark of "modernity heightened to a superlative power", but also, the mask behind which I write my own song. Pierre Denan Selected works. Writer. 2002–2005 "Libre", M19 2003 "Libre" in "Bordel" (review) n° 3 , Flammarion , Paris 2010 "Pourquoi Tom Cruise", book 1, Les presses du Réel, Dijon 2010-today Pierre Denan websites and social networks 2015 "Pourquoi Tom Cruise", book 2, Les presses du Réel, Dijon 2015 "Paradis" in Le Cafard Hérétique, n° 5, 2016 "Pourquoi Tom Cruise", reading, book 2, extract, Palais de Tokyo, Paris 2016 "Voilà", Une collection, work in progress, forthcoming 2016 "Pourquoi Tom Cruise", reading, Centre Pompidou, Paris, September 15 2018 "Pourquoi Tom Cruise", book 3 2018-2020 "Journal", Pierre Denan Journal Artist. 1998 "Personnes en quête d’un divertissement", short-film (actor, director) 2002 "Poulet Poulet", artist book, M19 2002  R. Thomas, artist book, I.S. Inventaire Supplémentaire collection, M19 2003 "JE", artist book, M19 2005 "Dragon Eye", artist book, M19 2005 "Come Again", performances at Galerie du Forum and Les Abattoirs, Toulouse 2007 "2860 Grams of art", artists's magazine, M19 (artworks) 2008 "2870 Grams of art", artists's magazine, M19 (artworks) 2010-today Pierre Denan websites and social networks 2011 "AH AH AH", artists's magazine, M19 (artworks), read the magazine online 2011 "Pour le Mur", exhibition, solo show, Galerie de Multiples, Paris 2014 "Pierre Denan Diary, a selection of works", Les presses du réel, Dijon 2015 « Mauvais Genre  » exhibition, group show, Addict Gallery, Paris 2017 « Road is a road is a road… » exhibition, group show, GDM Galerie de Multiples, Paris 2017 « Culbuteurs » exhibition, group show, Le Garage, Paris 2018 « Blind-Marché », a group show curated by Samuel Boutruche for Le Consultat, Ramapano, Paris 2019 « It’s a Wonderful Life », Group Show, Gilles Drouault Galerie/Multiples Publisher. 2000 The birth of M19 editions (May 19) 2000–2004 "MAP", contemporary art critic, M19 2002–2009 « I.S. Inventaire Supplémentaire » collection, artists's books, M19 2007 "2860 Grams of art", artists's magazine, M19 2008 "2870 Grams of art", artists's magazine, M19 2007–2012  20/27, art critic, with Michel Gauthier and Arnauld Pierre, M19 2011 "AH AH AH", artists's magazine, M19