Philipe Chancel

Philippe Chancel (French, b. 1958) Burj Khalifa Under Construction from the Emirates Project 2008 Archival inkjet print 20 x 15 inch image on 17 x 22 inch paper Signed edition of 30   Philippe Chancel’s aerial image of Dubai was taken in 2008 as the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, was being erected. The now iconic structure is one of many notable buildings that have rapidly transformed the city’s skyline during two decades of explosive construction. Chancel’s photograph is strangely surreal, with a desaturated palette that is reminiscent of an architectural drawing or a ghostly ruin. By making the real appear vacant, he pointedly collapses the process by which cities move from plan to reality, and ultimately into decay. Chancel lives and works in Paris. He has an extensive, international exhibition record including shows at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago (2015); Galerie FO.KU.S, Innsbruck, Austria (2014); Galerie Fait & Cause, Paris (2012); Saatchi Gall