INTENSE PROXIMITY
They call it «Intense Proximité/y» My first thought after an hour and more of visit with Laurent - too close - . I came home and looked at the few photos I had taken and thought, «this is not me" Perhaps am I looking at it the wrong way? Too fast? Scuttling from room to room and feeling decidedly drunk by the invasion of installations, videos and other on my brain. I went back to magazines which I have including articles on the subject, critics and then sat down for a second thought.
At the end of our visit I said to Lo, «perhaps we should look at one gallery at a time?» Choose those that are of interest and leave the rest.
This is the new Palais de Tokyo. Renovation was undertaken a year ago. The ground surface has been tripled and now houses 22 000m2 of contemporary art on three floors.
The building itself has never been very successful : photography, sculpture....and now sponsors are to be found as I doubt if the State will finance it completely. It is I gather the largest contemporary art centre in Europe. Young artists of all nationalities will be asked to participate in exhibitions and show their work in different ways.
I am still not an installation fan - and I don’t think Laurent is too enthusiastic either, and yet there were some which caught our attention. Annette Messanger - I always find her amusing even if at moments she is far from reassuring: Nicholas Hlobo from South Africa. Domink Lang from Prague : Batoul Sh’imi from Marocco : El Anatusi from Ghana. There was one artist Oyvind Fahlstron, who was bright and another who was even a little Australian....
and then of course so many installations that frankly I don’t understand all all. A record player on the ground. Installations which look like a street bazar... Videos over an hour if one was to watch the whole film. I suppose you are to spend days there or at least go back. I think I will. This time though to look a lot closer at what I like and skirt around what I don’t. One skate board installation was a lot of fun and a little girl was free skating on it. But the artists had written so much blurb about the installation that the fun disappeared for me as did the name of the artist.
The space is huge and unfortunately smells anything but good on the basement level. It’s early days yet and perhaps by the time September and the next exhibition is installed, a few of the teething problems will be ironed out. I doubt if it will become a regular hunting ground as is the Modern Art Museum right next door but it will be a curiosity centre where perhaps I will ask myself questions about art I find hard to understand and let alone enjoy. Laurent was certainly doubtful about the whole space.
After lunch we went to look at Robert Crumb at the M.A.M. A satirist and comic books. I find it very difficult to read texts in exhibitions and cartoons have never been my strength. There were some scenes which I found fun but this kind of exhibition is not for me either.
Then to really drive it in. I saw the Helmut Newton this morning. He may have been a great photographer in his time but his work is outdated for me. This kind of nudism leaves me very cold.
At the end of our visit I said to Lo, «perhaps we should look at one gallery at a time?» Choose those that are of interest and leave the rest.
This is the new Palais de Tokyo. Renovation was undertaken a year ago. The ground surface has been tripled and now houses 22 000m2 of contemporary art on three floors.
The building itself has never been very successful : photography, sculpture....and now sponsors are to be found as I doubt if the State will finance it completely. It is I gather the largest contemporary art centre in Europe. Young artists of all nationalities will be asked to participate in exhibitions and show their work in different ways.
I am still not an installation fan - and I don’t think Laurent is too enthusiastic either, and yet there were some which caught our attention. Annette Messanger - I always find her amusing even if at moments she is far from reassuring: Nicholas Hlobo from South Africa. Domink Lang from Prague : Batoul Sh’imi from Marocco : El Anatusi from Ghana. There was one artist Oyvind Fahlstron, who was bright and another who was even a little Australian....
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| Batou Shimi |
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| Annette Messanger |
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| Nicholas Hlobo |
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| And installations I don't understand at all..... |
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| Michael Buthe |
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| Like it but who ? |
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| Dominik Lang we had seen in Venise |
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| The Skate board installation |
and then of course so many installations that frankly I don’t understand all all. A record player on the ground. Installations which look like a street bazar... Videos over an hour if one was to watch the whole film. I suppose you are to spend days there or at least go back. I think I will. This time though to look a lot closer at what I like and skirt around what I don’t. One skate board installation was a lot of fun and a little girl was free skating on it. But the artists had written so much blurb about the installation that the fun disappeared for me as did the name of the artist.
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| Le Anatusi - Tiled garden |
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| Oyvind Fahlstron |
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| Galleries ++++ |
After lunch we went to look at Robert Crumb at the M.A.M. A satirist and comic books. I find it very difficult to read texts in exhibitions and cartoons have never been my strength. There were some scenes which I found fun but this kind of exhibition is not for me either.
Then to really drive it in. I saw the Helmut Newton this morning. He may have been a great photographer in his time but his work is outdated for me. This kind of nudism leaves me very cold.
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