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| Entr'acte: Mixing art and politics at the 'Expo Villepin' |
| 2006-05-24 |
| PARIS Given all the troubles facing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin of late, what with rioting immigrants, marching students and judicial inquiries, he might be forgiven for thinking that a government initiative to boost French contemporary art would win him some much needed applause. After all, as both a biographer and admirer of Napoleon, Villepin is a strong believer in government action. And when France is seen to be falling behind its first world peers, above all in its privileged preserve of culture, it is the government's duty to step in. It does so with movies. Why not in contemporary art? He may have a point. French creators rank high in contemporary dance and experimental music today. But in contemporary art, Paris has fallen far behind not only New York and London, but also Amsterdam, Cologne and, more recently, Leipzig and Berlin. The avant-garde capital for almost a century until World War II, Paris is now better known for its museum art. So last October, while visiting the annual International Contemporary Art Fair, a commercial operation known by its French acronym of FIAC, Villepin proposed that the newly-restored Grand Palais host a contemporary art triennial to match the Tate Triennial in London and the Whitney Biennial in New York. And, voilà , seven months later, there it is, presenting some 350 works by 200 artists who are French or reside in France. The show, which runs through June 25, is entitled "La Force de l'Art." But it could as easily have been called "The Power of Politics." In fact, as a nod to its initiator, it has been dubbed "Expo Villepin." It even includes a portrait of Villepin by Yan Pei Ming. Now all that is missing is the applause. As it happens, a good many experts thought it unrealistic to put together a triennial in such a short time. Some also wondered why the Georges Pompidou Center was not put in charge. But a political decision had been taken and the Culture Ministry's job was to execute it. And when no individual of experience and prestige was found to organize it, a pluralistic solution was found: 15 curators were named. As each went about selecting themes, artists and works, complaints grew louder. The show's cost rose from $3.6 million to $5.1 million. Two artists announced they would not participate if invited. Another, Gérard Fromanger, refused to show his work because, he said, it was an "eminently political" event, organized "a few months" before a presidential election. Well, it is true that, when Villepin launched this initiative last October, he stood some chance of beating the hyperactive Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy in the race for the conservative nomination to succeed Jacques Chirac. But recent months have not been kind to de Villepin - and the triennial does not appear to have helped him. At its inauguration earlier this month, a group of demonstrators handed out leaflets denouncing "official artists." And to insure order was preserved, riot police officers were on hand to receive guests. Further, inside, much of the art - spread among the temporary structures defining the selections of the 15 curators - looks lost in the Grand Palais's cathedral-like space. Still, most well-known artists working in France today are represented, including Annette Messager, Christian Boltanski, Thomas Hirschhorn, Pierre Huyghe, Xavier Veilhan and Fabrice Hyber. Oddly, works by some dead - hardly contemporary - artists are also on display, among them Alexander Calder, César, Victor Vasarely and Paul Rebeyrolle. The art itself covers the usual range - from abstract, conceptual and video to photography and, yes, painting. And among noteworthy works are Joël Hubaut's "Chorale Epidémik," a video installation showing the faces of 18 people singing or babbling nonsense; Gloria Friedmann's "Locataire," a mud-packed figure in a suit sitting on a large earth ball; and Gérard Garouste's "Ellipse," a large canvas house painted inside and out. That said, one reason French contemporary art has not made much of a mark abroad is that it has not made much of a mark at home. And this is not necessarily the artists' fault. The French press pays infinitely less attention to contemporary artists than it does to, say, today's writers or movie directors. The French public also seems less than enthusiastic about contemporary art. At "La Force de l'Art," the comments book, albeit hardly a scientific sample, suggested that few visitors had been won over. There were some positive remarks, but the majority were critical, some quite witty. One noted: "Its main achievement was to take 7 euros off me." And another: "Beauty is in the eye that sees it and, God knows, I have looked and seen nothing." One wag even signed his name Nicolas Sarkozy. "Great restoration of the Grand Palais," he wrote. "Pity someone left all this junk around. It's time to clean it up. Out with Mr. de Villepin." But the government has evidently not given up. Last week, it announced it would play a central role in founding a new $128 million European Center for Contemporary Creativity on the Île Seguin, the site originally chosen by the French billionaire François Pinault to build a museum for his contemporary art collection (after delays, he abandoned the project and is now showing some 200 of his works in the Palazzo Grassi in Venice). From next month through December, the government is also sponsoring "Paris Calling," a season of contemporary art from France in Britain, comprising 30 exhibitions and events in London, Oxford and Margate. Meanwhile, a broader French arts festival called "Voilà ," including art, dance, theater and music, is on in Israel through Aug. 27 as part of an effort to improve bilateral relations. This much is clear: France still believes that culture is a useful political and diplomatic instrument. And as evidence, the government has also just reorganized its decades-old French Association for Artistic Action into a new body called CulturesFrance ), with a $38 million annual budget and a mandate to promote French culture and education abroad. "What our cultural policy abroad lacked was a label, a signature, a trademark," Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said, referring to CulturesFrance. Would that it were that easy. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 ...among noteworthy works are Joël Hubaut's "Chorale Epidémik," a video installation showing the faces of 18 people singing or babbling nonsense; Gloria Friedmann's "Locataire," a mud-packed figure in a suit sitting on a large earth ball; and Gérard Garouste's "Ellipse," a large canvas house painted inside and out. Man, am I kicking myself in the ass that I'm missing this... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-05-24 13:13 |