The exhibition of Nantes-born video artist Pierrick Sorin, currently nestled in blacked out corners at Centquatre, is very much a one-man sketch show. Practicing the method of autofilmage, Sorin often assumes several roles simultaneously, with superimposition allowing for their interaction. His characters are both comical and endearing, in scenarios fictional yet relatable to real life. Though it may seem an introspective technique, Sorin’s work looks into aspects related to the general human condition, with each subject touched on – from our moments of boredom, to creative struggles, and the conventions of TV reportage – done so with a mocking irony. He pokes fun at the everyday absurdities of life, and our strife to fill the voids we all occasionally fall into during moments of ennui. At their most slapstick, his shorts are comparable to scenes from Jacques Tati films, and the one I went back to the most was ‘Pierrick et Jean Loup (www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AYS4E1fTMo).’ Here Sorin incarnates the roles of twin brothers as they seek a relief from Saturday-afternoon boredom, through such imaginative distractions as a rudimentary, and messy, video game involving throwing eggs at pre-prepared footage of themselves on the TV screen, to a musical composition using household object instruments, involving sawing a baguette and plucking a pair of underpants clamped between teeth ( – DIY violins). Sorin can often be found exploring the territories once inhabited by early cinematographer Georges Méliès, with his theatricality and exaggerated miming, his fascination with illusion, and his frequent use of magical effects and silent cinema intertitles (most prominently in ‘C’était bien du coulis de tomate’ www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjdssddnBXc). Elsewhere he seems more ahead of his time; ‘Reveils,’ in which he films his waking up every morning for a month, was created in the ‘80s, and feels like a wittier, more involving predecessor of well-known Youtube-generation videos like that one where that American guy takes a picture of himself every day over a series of years. With most films featuring only himself, Sorin is very much an independent spirit, and his playful approach to filmmaking, often using quite basic, homemade techniques, makes for an original and accessible body of work. Sorin’s retrospective remains on show at 104 (Rue d’Aubervilliers, 19e www.104.fr/) until closing hours this Sunday evening (13th February), and a celebratory evening will be held on Saturday from 7, combining the world of Sorin with a DJ set to mark the end of the exhibition.