SLEEPING WITH KUSAMA - Chapter 1

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I must admit that entering my hotel room in Lille and finding this - made me feel as if I really was sleeping with Yayoi Kusuma.

 These tulips were erected in Lille in 2004 for the year of culture event in the same city. « The tulips of Shangr-La ». I love them as they make a very cold and windy square feel a little less open to the elements.

I was in Lille for Lille 3000. Was there the last time with Marielle in October 2012, just a year ago. It was mainly to see the Brueghel and Bosch at the Beaux Arts and following this we had done a round of modern and Contemporary Art at the Tripostal and then the LAM.(see FROM LAUSANNE TO LILLE - QUITE A CONTRAST FROM LAUSANNE TO LILLE - QUITE A CONTRAST )This time I had three exciting events on my agenda. "Happy Birthday Gallery Perrotin" at the Tripostal.  Jan Fabre at the Beaux Arts and then the highlight - or I thought it would be - The Khanweiler Collection at the Lam. After China, I was back in "my art territory", and admit, happy to be so.

CHAPTER 1
Lille was far from welcoming. A fierce wind blew and rain was beating down. Another way to break an umbrella as I battled with the wind on the way to the Tripostal

Emmanuel Perrotin is someone we know and respect in France. A young gallerist all of 45 years who has made a name for himself in Europe, Hong Kong and has recently opened a gallery in New York.
25 years of experience and he started very young. He has some fabulous names in his wake: Sophie Calle, Maurizio Cattelan, Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, others I do know and many I don’t. Contemporary of course. 

The space at the Tripostal. 6000 square metres on three levels. There would be 150 works and 77 artists. No, I am not going to talk about them all.

"Gelitin" is a group I don’t remember seeing and yet obviously have. Such animals do not go unnoticed. They are Viennese artists and have been working together since 1993. The group likes to use found materials that it assembles into pop-style sculptures and installations. It’s mischievous art and antics which obviously have an effect on the spectator. There were these which really makes you stop in your tracks.

Then on the left, and no way could you miss it. Elmgreen (Danish) and Gragset (Norwegian) . Both classical sculptors. With the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow they have covered it with tar and feathers.(2007) No longer a symbol of wealth and power. It’s called « Disgrace ». On the right, you find Irina in gilded brass, steel, fiber glass with epoxy, garments and shoes of course. She too is conflicting with social symbols.

Disgrace

Irena 

Next you go into the first gallery. Such a wonderful space filled with Jean-Michel Othoniel (1964) works in glass. Since 2008, he has been working in other dimensions from those I have shown you already. Knots! I’m looking forward to his new installation at Versailles in 2014 which will be quite an event.

Around the walls in the same gallery are works by Bernard Frize. Another Frenchman but he works today in both Paris and Berlin. There were 13 paintings on display all dating from different periods. You can’t take his work in at once. It has to be looked at from different angles and then looked at from far off (but difficult to do her) and then close up. I like the movement.

Frize -Brent 1992

Bernard Frize

Paola Pivi (1971:Italian but now living in Anchorage, Alaska, US and New Delhi . She certainly gets around. This was or is the poster for the Lille 3000 which caught my eye months ago. Her work is spectacular and improbable. Her animals seem to be quite at ease in strange situations but what is true and what is not? For instance this is supposedly a real leopard walking over the cappuccino coffee cups. « One cup of cappuccino and then I go » is the title and she did it in 2007. How true is it? I leave you to judge that but it is certainly subject for conversation.

One cup.....

Maurizio Cattlelan (Italian too and born in 1960) is one of those artists you like or you hate. He is extremely provocative with a sense of humour I feel sure and yet such works as this hit you were it hurts. What does the symbol mean?  - a dead horse - He wants the viewer to make up his mind. I did. I don’t like it.

Inri 

On the second floor, I came bang into this. Obviously I though it was Cattelan but no. Daniel Firman and I don’t know his work at all. He’s French too and works now in Brussels. His concept is stability in space. The elephant is called Nasutamanus (2012). Apparently it is a latin word meaning hand and « big nose ». OK, the elephant uses his trunk as a hand and for feeling things around him. But this?

 Nasutamanus (2012)

Of course Murakami is always so much fun. He has a unique style and is inspired by both traditional work and pop art. I got away with taking a few photos but it was clearly marked no photos permitted, so was very wary. Just a few pieces I enjoyed.

Three Best Friends 2010

The other Japanese work is also eye catching. There was Mr. born in 1969 and working in Japan. It’s a pseudonym of course. For those who are followers of the manga, they will surely see this in his work. This painting is called « Three Best Friends » (2010) and is based on a concept which is very Japanese, the Lolita Complex. I guess these three are cute but no more. 






Then there is Chiho Aoshima who works in Kyoto. He seems to be into young girls and zombies from what I can see. There are so many symbols in his work. Flowers, skulls, butterflies  - it’s science fiction in my book. Called Paradise (2002) and very large. 

Paradise 2002

Detail of Paradise

Milk of Tender Love 2002

There were quite a few Japanese as you can see. Aya Takano (1976) also  populates his paintings with young girls on the brink of adolescence. I think there is a lot of erotica in and those young ladies are not playing « child-like » games. Even the title 
« Milk of Tender Love » (2003) makes me feel there is more in the picture than one sees initially. 

Takano - untitled  

Takano

Gotta Eat 2011

Kaws is an American - from afar I was certain he was Japanese. (1974). He apparently is known for transforming icons of popular culture into cartoon characters. This is called « Gotta Eat » (2011) I certainly do not relate it to any icon that I know. However, I am not a cartoon follower but attracted at times to pictures as you have just looked at.

Close up of knives 

Farhad Moshiri is Iranian (1962). He worked in the States for 12 years but now commutes between Tehran and Paris. When you look at this from far off, you really don’t know what it’s all about. I also had trouble reading the script. It’s called « Life is Beautiful » (2009) and is actually made up of knives of all sizes and colours. Very striking I can tell you that. I think the text is « Right as Rain » but it wasn't until I saw my photo that I could read the text. Strange!




For a long time I have been following  Germaine Richier (French - 1902-1959). Most of these sculptures I have seen before but in the space given to them they were much more spectacular. 


The Space 

Don Quichotte 1949

The Grass hopper 1955-56

Richier 

L'Hydre 1954

Xavier Veilhan, also French and works in Lyon (1963).  Anne and I saw his work in Versailles some years ago. His sculptures are immense to say the least and yet they can be tiny too as you can see. « Le Corbusier » (2013) a very new work took my attention from all angles. Architectural...

The Gallery

Le Corbusier 2013

The Architects as volume 2012

The Architects as volume 2012

The Architects as volume 2012

The Architects as volume 2012

Le Corbusier 2013

Le Corbusier 2013

There were many more photos taken. Some I have posted below because they caught my attention. Others were scrapped, especially those of installations which in my book were meaningless. I had already been there for over three hours and strangely enough my tummy was feeling very empty.

JR Women are heroes RIO 2008

Klara Kristalova - Tchek 2010- Woodland Tales 

Klara Kristalova - Tchek 2010

Pae White - USA - - US Milan Hazy 2