Coalface, 2024

Installation view: *Solarstalgia*, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, Denmark, 2024. Photo by David Stjernholm

The sculpture Coalface consists of a thick piece of polished anthracite coal suspended in the space. Approaching it, the viewer encounters an uneven, mirror-like surface that distorts reality into an uncanny and otherworldly reflection. The work acts as a tool for reflection on the paradox of coal—a material that once promised a bright future but is now a symbol of its undoing. Lit by an unseen oil lamp, a subtle tension is created between fuel and fire, forcing a confrontation with our own complicity.

All images are © Julian Charrière / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.

*Coalface*, 2024, detail. Photo by Tino Kukulies

Installation view: *Midnight Zone*, Museum Tinguely, Basel, Switzerland, 2025. Photo by Jens Ziehe

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation
Controlled Burn
Albedo, 2025
Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA
Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem
Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art
Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows
We Are All Astronauts
Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou
Panchronic Garden
Chorals, 2025
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Midnight Zone, 2024
Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017
Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023
Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024
Spiral Economy, 2025
Iroojrilik
Metamorphism
Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz
An Invitation to Disappear
Coalface, 2024
Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025
Ever Since We Crawled Out
Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi
Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie
Tropisme
First Light
Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke
Terminal Beach
A Sky Taste of Rock
Clockwork
Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear
Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did
Black Smoker, 2025
The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories
Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit
The Key to the Present Lay in the Future
On The Sidewalk
Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others
Panorama
Polygon
The Purchase of the South Pole
Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025
Future Fossil Spaces
I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave
Somewhere
Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano
Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne
Where Waters Meet
Towards No Earthly Pole
And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire
Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna
In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly
Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation

Controlled Burn

Albedo, 2025

Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA

Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem

Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art

Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows

We Are All Astronauts

Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou

Panchronic Garden

Chorals, 2025

Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus

Midnight Zone, 2024

Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017

Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023

Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024

Spiral Economy, 2025

Iroojrilik

Metamorphism

Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz

An Invitation to Disappear

Coalface, 2024

Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025

Ever Since We Crawled Out

Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi

Exhibition: As We Used to Float, Berlinische Galerie

Tropisme

First Light

Exhibition: Pitch Drop, Sies + Höke

Terminal Beach

A Sky Taste of Rock

Clockwork

Objects in Mirror Might Be Closer Than They Appear

Somehow, They Never Stop Doing What They Always Did

Black Smoker, 2025

The Blue Fossil Entropic Stories

Exhibition: For They That Sow the Wind, Parasol Unit

The Key to the Present Lay in the Future

On The Sidewalk

Some Pigeons Are More Equal Than Others

Panorama

Polygon

The Purchase of the South Pole

Exhibition: Solarstalgia, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, 2025

Future Fossil Spaces

I Am Afraid, I Must Ask You to Leave

Somewhere

Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, MASI Lugano

Exhibition: Future Fossil Spaces, Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne

Where Waters Meet

Towards No Earthly Pole

And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire

Exhibition: All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and Everywhere, MAMBo Bologna

In the Real World It Doesn't Happen That Perfectly

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Exhibition: Controlled Burn, Langen Foundation

Controlled Burn

Albedo, 2025

Exhibition: Erratic, SFMOMA

Exhibition: Soothsayers, Dittrich & Schlechtriem

Exhibition: Concentrations 63: Julian Charrière, Towards No Earthly Pole, Dallas Museum of Art

Thickens, pools, flows, rushes, slows

We Are All Astronauts

Exhibition: Weight of Shadows – Prix Marcel Duchamp 2021, Centre Pompidou

Panchronic Garden

Chorals, 2025

Exhibition: Towards No Earthly Pole, Aargauer Kunsthaus

Midnight Zone, 2024

Exhibition: Viva Arte Viva - 57th Venice Biennale 2017

Buried Sunshines Burn, 2023

Exhibition: Stone Speakers, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2024

Spiral Economy, 2025

Iroojrilik

Metamorphism

Exhibition: An Invitation to Disappear, Kunsthalle Mainz

An Invitation to Disappear

Coalface, 2024

Exhibition: Midnight Zone, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 2025

Ever Since We Crawled Out

Exhibition: First Light, Galerie Tschudi